When school gates no longer keep fear out

When a place meant to nurture young minds and shield them from harm becomes a source of fear, something fundamental is lost. The school, long regarded as a sanctuary where children learn, grow and build friendships, takes on a more troubling character when violence breaches its gates.

A spate of violence in Malaysian schools, including fatal attacks that have claimed young lives, has sent shockwaves through the nation.

When Malaysiakini spoke to...

When a place meant to nurture young minds and shield them from harm becomes a source of fear, something fundamental is lost. The school, long regarded as a sanctuary where children learn, grow and build friendships, takes on a more troubling character when violence breaches its gates.

A spate of violence in Malaysian schools, including fatal attacks that have claimed young lives, has sent shockwaves through the nation.

When Malaysiakini spoke to parents, students and those entrusted with safeguarding children, their accounts revealed a growing sense of unease, punctuated by calls for firmer discipline, closer supervision and greater vigilance at home and in school.

For one Form Three student at a national secondary school in Petaling Jaya, staying safe begins with a lesson his parents taught him long before the recent spate of violence.

“If you want to make friends, make sure you choose good friends who can be trusted. Don’t trust everyone,” he said.

The student, whose identity Malaysiakini is withholding because he is a minor, said he had never forgotten their advice.

Reports of bullying and student deaths have made him feel less safe, he admitted. The presence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at school, however, offers some reassurance.

For another Form Four student at a national secondary school in Petaling Jaya, the recent violence has also prompted greater caution.

She said her school had an anonymous reporting channel where students could flag bullying or anything they considered dangerous without revealing their identities.

“We have an anonymous mailbox where we can drop letters and make reports,” she said.

However, the availability of such a channel has not dispelled her unease. She admitted that the recent violence had made her more cautious about where she went and more reluctant to be alone.

“I always stay with my friends and don’t go to certain places on my own,” she said.

A parent's worst nightmare

For Habibah Mat Isa, 50, reports of violence and bullying in schools have stirred a deep anxiety that is difficult to put into words.

As a mother, she said, the thought of losing a child before they have had the chance to grow up, build a career and realise their dreams is devastating.

“We raise our children from infancy until they grow up. Then, suddenly, when they are only 16, and we have yet to see their future unfold or their careers take shape, we are forced to face the loss of a child.

“It is heartbreaking to talk about this because we have children of our own,” she said, her voice filled with emotion.

Habibah (below) stressed that parents and children must maintain open lines of communication so that problems at school are not left unspoken until it is too late.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Legal vs medical insanity: What the school stabbing verdict really means

For Sasee Kumaran, 48, strengthening discipline is another essential step towards making schools safer.

He called for disciplinary teachers and student prefects to play a stronger role, arguing that clear authority and accountability are necessary to ensure students understand the consequences of their actions.

“Discipline must be given priority. Disciplinary teachers need to be firm, and prefects must also take their responsibilities seriously. Only then will students have greater respect for and obey disciplinary teachers and prefects,” he said.

Sasee (below) also suggested that schools use platforms such as WhatsApp to notify parents promptly whenever disciplinary problems or safety incidents arise.

Communication between schools and families, he said, should be an integral part of preventing problems from escalating.

Parents’ responsibility

School van driver Krishanan Ramadass, 46, believes the responsibility cannot rest on schools alone.

While teachers have an important role in maintaining order, he said parents must also guide their children and address behavioural problems before they become more serious.

“Parents must also take responsibility. In my view, parents bear the greatest responsibility. Problems can become so serious that they lead to incidents in which students are willing to kill. Parents must play their part,” Krishanan (below) said.

Hawa Ismail, 76, a former school general assistant who now looks after her grandchildren, believes supervision within school grounds needs to be stepped up.

Drawing on her experience working in schools, she said she had noticed a difference in how students were monitored over the years.

“My experience working in schools in the past was different from what it is today. Supervision is now rather lax. Students need to be looked after and monitored more closely.

“Keep track of who enters the school grounds and who comes and goes, as well as where students go. Pay close attention to what is happening,” she said.

READ MORE: COMMENT | Our children should not have to survive school

It begins at home

Abdul Wahab Ismail, 67, likewise, cautioned against placing the entire burden of raising and monitoring children on teachers.

Teachers cannot be expected to know everything that happens beyond school hours, he said, making parental involvement indispensable.

“When teachers come to school, that is their responsibility, isn’t it? But how would they know what happens outside school? Parents or relatives need to pay closer attention,” Wahab (below) said.

The Form Three student echoed that view, saying efforts to keep students safe must begin at home.

He said teachers regularly reminded students during assemblies about bullying and how to respond to dangerous situations, including lodging complaints with disciplinary teachers.

“I think it all probably starts with parents. They need to raise their children to be more disciplined,” he said.

The latest fatal incident in Johor, in which Form Four student Irene Sofiya Khairool Faisal was allegedly murdered by a schoolmate, had also become a topic of conversation among his friends.

The tragedy had left them shocked, he said, bringing the question of school safety closer to home for students who might otherwise have regarded such violence as something that happened to other people.

Regular patrols, screening checks

At another national secondary school in Petaling Jaya, measures to protect students include regular patrols and screening checks using scanners to detect sharp objects.

Haniff Nordin, 49, who has worked as a security guard at the school for two years, said surprise inspections were also conducted.

His daily duties take him across the school grounds, including secluded areas such as upper-floor blocks and classrooms that remain unused following renovation work. Patrols are conducted every two hours, he said.

Asked whether the school remained safe for students, Haniff said the situation had so far remained under control, based on his experience.

“In the two years I’ve been working here, there haven’t been any problems,” he said.

However, Haniff (below) also recalled a frightening incident that underscored the challenges of keeping students safe. A student once attempted to jump from a school building, he said.

Teachers, assisted by police, firefighters and an ambulance crew, managed to persuade the student not to jump before the student was taken to hospital.

The incident reminds us that safeguarding children involves more than preventing physical attacks or keeping dangerous objects out of school.

The accounts Malaysiakini gathered point to a shared determination to make schools safer, whether through stricter discipline, closer supervision, better communication or greater parental involvement.