KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Education Ministry is considering tighter security measures, including spot checks of students in schools, following the fatal stabbing of a teenage girl at a secondary school in Selangor state on Oct 14.
The killing, yet another in a string of violent incidents in schools in recent months, has sent shockwaves across the nation and underscores the urgent need to improve student safety and mental health support in schools.
Education director-general Azam Ahmad said at a press conference on Oct 14 that the incident was “a stern wake-up call” for the ministry to strengthen its efforts.
He added: “We are working closely with the Royal Malaysia Police to step up monitoring in all schools. Additional security measures will be announced soon to ensure that schools are truly safe for students.”
A special committee to investigate the case “thoroughly, transparently and fairly” has also been set up.
Meanwhile, school administrators involved in the case have been temporarily transferred to the district education office pending the outcome of investigations.
The victim, a 16-year-old female student at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4,
was fatally stabbed
by a 14-year-old male schoolmate in the school compound at around 9.10am on Oct 14, according to police.
Petaling Jaya district police chief Shamsudin Mamat said the girl sustained multiple stab wounds and died at the scene.
“We confirm a murder has taken place in the school compound involving a 16-year-old female student,” he told reporters.
The suspect was arrested shortly after the incident. Police seized two sharp weapons believed to have been used in the attack.
In response, the Education Ministry said a team of counsellors and guidance teachers has been deployed to provide psychosocial support to affected students, teachers and parents.
Mr Azam added that the ministry would “double its efforts to address existing shortcomings” and urged all parties, including schools, parents, communities and the authorities, to share responsibility for keeping schools safe.
“The safety of students is our shared responsibility, and every school must be a safe place for our children to learn and grow,” he said.
The school where the killing occurred is a government secondary school located across the road from a major shopping mall. Students are sitting their school’s end-of-year examinations this week.
When The Straits Times visited the school, it was the end of the school day and some students were seen waiting outside the compound, while a handful of parents waited by the gate for those still inside. Several reporters were gathered outside.
Witnesses told ST that there were scenes of chaos as students fled classrooms screaming when the boy, his uniform stained with blood, went into several classes. He was seen standing in the courtyard, with bloodstains on his white school uniform, while brandishing his weapons at students.
When teachers rushed to the girls’ toilet, they found the victim lying motionless.
Police arrived at the scene within 30 minutes of being alerted and cordoned off the area for forensic investigation.
The victim’s body has since been taken to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre for a post-mortem.
Investigators say they are exploring several possible motives for the killing.
“We are still working on the motive. Our initial probe, however, shows that it was not related to bullying,” Assistant Commissioner Shamsudin said.
The suspect is being held overnight at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters and will be taken to the magistrate’s court for a remand order.
Former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman urged the government to set aside funds for CCTV cameras to be installed in public schools, saying these educational institutions faced a trust deficit among parents as school grounds were now seen as unsafe.
“Schools are supposed to be the safest place after home, but now words like murder, rape and bullying are no longer foreign here,” the Muar MP said in Parliament on Oct 14.
The government must act to restore safety and public trust in schools, he said, calling for firm accountability and zero tolerance for bullying and violent behaviour.
“If there are bullying cases, action must not only be taken against the bully but also against wardens, principals and slow-acting enforcers,” he added.
He also pressed for a strict “you touch, you go” policy, saying the government must “send an unequivocally clear signal that bullying, no matter how small, will not be tolerated”.
The attack has reignited nationwide concern over the safety and discipline in Malaysian schools, following a string of violent, and sometimes fatal, incidents in recent months.
Amid public outrage, the four male students accused of being involved in the rape of a 15-year-old girl in a school in Melaka
were expelled on Oct 13.
The alleged incident, which was said to have taken place in a classroom after school hours on Oct 2, shocked the nation and ignited fierce debate over moral education, student discipline and safety in Malaysian schools.
In July, the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina, a student at a boarding school in Sabah, allegedly after being assaulted by schoolmates,
sparked mass protests and demands for justice.
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