SHAH ALAM – Schools, once considered a ‘second home’ for students, no longer appear to be safe following a series of incidents involving bullying, sexual harassment and now, even murder.
The fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old female student at a school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, raised serious concerns about the safety of Malaysia’s educational institutions, which were becoming increasingly exposed to criminal threats and disciplinary issues.
Independent criminologist Datuk Shahul Hamid Abd Rahim stated that the latest incident showed a breakdown in safety protocols.
“Schools should be the safest place after one’s own home, but incidents like this showed that there were weaknesses in the monitoring system and student discipline,” he told Sinar when contacted on Tuesday.
He said the Education Ministry (MOE) must take a firmer stance, including reintroducing caning with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) and strengthening the role of disciplinary teachers.
Shahul also suggested that schools consider having policemen stationed on site to ensure safety.
He added that there could be a policeman who constantly monitored the school area during arrival and dismissal times, as well as conducted regular patrols.
However, he stressed that schools should not bear full responsibility for such problems.
According to him, the issue of crime among students was also linked to parental neglect and the powerful influence of social media.
“Many parents today were negligent and did not pay enough attention to their children.
"They did not even know who their children befriended or what they did on social media,” he said.
He added that the lack of basic religious and moral education at home had become one of the main factors driving aggressive behaviour, emotional instability and loss of self-control among teenagers.