Stabbing case 'slap in the face of education system' - Muhyiddin

Without mincing his words, Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin referred to the recent fatal knife attack incident in a school in Petaling Jaya as “a slap on the face of the national education system”.

Expressing condolences to the family who lost their daughter, he urged Putrajaya to establish an independent committee to investigate the real cause of the tragic incident.

The committee, he said, should also study the weaknesses in school safety measures and find ways to improve them.

However, Muhyiddin stated that to address cases of violence in schools, Putrajaya needs to embark on a whole-of-government approach.

“Every life lost in schools reflects the failure of our policies, poor leadership, and institutional negligence.

“The failure to protect our children is not only upon the ministry in charge, but it represents the moral failure of the entire administration,” the former prime minister said on Facebook today.

Yesterday, a 16-year-old female student lost her life after being stabbed by a 14-year-old male student at a school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.

The alleged assailant had also attacked other classmates before being apprehended by the police. He is scheduled for a remand hearing today.

This case came barely two weeks after another disturbing incident in Malacca, where four teenagers were arrested for allegedly raping a Form Three student in a classroom on Oct 2.

Police obtained a six-day remand order against the suspects on Oct 11. They are being investigated under Section 375B of the Penal Code for gang rape.

Earlier, PN lawmakers urged authorities to launch a thorough investigation into the death of a Standard Four pupil who was found unconscious in a school toilet in Senawang, Negeri Sembilan, earlier this month and later pronounced dead.

Intervention programmes

On that note, Muhyiddin said that opposition lawmakers had urged the government to focus on several measures to enhance safety in schools when debating Budget 2026.

This includes allocating resources to enhance monitoring of schools by installing CCTVs in critical areas, conducting periodic patrols, and cooperating with the police.

“We must also conduct psychosocial and intervention programmes to identify troubled children who may show symptoms of aggressive behaviour.

“In addition, school staffers must be mandated to undergo safety and crisis management training to ensure they are capable of handling possible threats.

“And the education minister and our top leaders should go to the ground, instead of sending officers, to show their commitment and sincerity in addressing the problem,” the Pagoh MP added.

Yesterday, Education Ministry director-general Azam Ahmad acknowledged that many sexual harassment and bullying cases in schools have been “swept under the rug”.

He insisted that such incidents must be reported and that it was his responsibility to bring them to light to prevent their recurrence.

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