Schools need stronger safeguards against violence

 

The hall at a school in Yong Peng believed to be the location where a 16-year-old Form Four female student died. - BERNAMA PIC

It is ironic that while schools and hostels are meant to protect students, some of the gravest dangers can come from within.

Last month, a 14-year-old boy died after being found unconscious at a school hostel in Kuala Pilah, with police investigating an alleged assault. On Saturday, a 16-year-old schoolgirl was found dead in a school hall in Yong Peng, and three male schoolmates have been detained in connection with her death.

These tragedies are a grim reminder that schools and hostels, which should be safe places for children, are not immune to violence. Between 2021 and 2026, Malaysia has seen a disturbing series of bullying and assault cases involving students.

The Education Ministry's Student Discipline System recorded 21,307 bullying cases between 2021 and 2025.

The numbers alone are cause for concern. But repeated cases of violence raise a more fundamental question: are existing safeguards enough to protect students from threats within the school community? This is not to suggest that every incident has the same cause.

Bullying, hazing, peer violence and failures of supervision can have different causes. What they have in common is the potential to escalate when warning signs are missed, complaints are ignored or supervision fails.

In boarding schools, an entrenched culture of seniority can foster intimidation, hazing and peer-enforced punishment, sometimes normalised as a "rite of passage". Serious incidents must never be treated as mere disciplinary matters.

The Education Ministry's order for a comprehensive review, with instructions "not to hide anything", is therefore welcome.

But investigations after tragedies are not enough. What is needed is a systematic review of how schools identify risks, respond to complaints and protect students before violence occurs.

School safety measures and safeguards must therefore be thoroughly reviewed.

While each tragedy is different, repeated incidents should compel authorities to strengthen prevention, supervision and emergency responses.

This should include safety audits of schools, checks on CCTV coverage and blind spots, stronger access controls, attendance monitoring and closer supervision of students.

The education minister's latest directive must be translated into concrete action. Risks within schools and hostels must be identified early, with clear channels for students to report bullying, suspicious behaviour and threats before they escalate.

Schools must remain places of learning and safety, not places where violence is allowed to become normal. - NST