Calls are intensifying across Malaysia for a thorough reassessment of school safety protocols following the death of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal. The incident has sparked concern among child safety advocates and education professionals, who emphasize the need for schools to adopt more comprehensive safeguarding measures.
Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, chief children’s commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), urged the Education Ministry to implement more proactive, child-centred protections in schools. She called for improved oversight of student presence during all school-related activities, including extra classes, co-curricular sessions, sports training, and late-afternoon programs. Farah Nini also recommended developing risk assessments tailored specifically to periods outside regular class hours, considering factors such as reduced staffing, student movement across school grounds, and under-supervised or isolated areas. She stressed the importance of conducting nationwide school safeguarding audits that extend beyond standard security reviews.
Another Suhakam children’s commissioner, Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Al-Adib Samuri, highlighted the necessity of systems that can accurately track students’ whereabouts throughout the school day and during extracurricular activities. He noted that schools must assume full responsibility for student safety during all periods while students remain on campus. According to Mohd Al-Adib, a truly safe school is one that not only prevents violence but also actively monitors student locations, encourages open communication, promptly identifies risks, and responds swiftly to concerns. He cautioned against relying solely on physical security measures such as CCTV, fences, and guards, proposing that schools must have the capability to answer definitively where every child under their care is at any given time.
Representing the National Parents and Teachers Association (PIBGN), president Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ali Hassan called for a collective and preventative approach to safety in schools. He emphasized that issues like bullying, gangsterism, and threats to both student and teacher safety cannot be addressed by schools alone. Dr Mohd Ali stated that alumni, school authorities, departmental officials, and the Education Ministry must collaborate to implement decisive safety measures before tragedies occur.
Activist Sharmila Sekaran of the NGO Voices of Children urged authorities to go beyond defensive responses following serious incidents on school premises. She advocated for thorough investigations into how a child could become isolated and vulnerable to abuse, accompanied by a step-by-step review involving both the school and the Education Ministry to derive lessons that can be shared across the country’s educational institutions.
Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education, underscored the demand for accountability after Irene’s death and other similar tragedies related to criminal acts on school grounds. She stressed that parents require more than condolences—they need transparency around what went wrong, where safeguards failed, who was responsible for ensuring student safety at the time, and what measures will be taken to prevent recurrence. Datin Noor Azimah called for school safety to translate into tangible accountability rather than being confined to written policies.
As the debate continues, experts and stakeholders agree that enhancing the safety of students in Malaysian schools requires urgent and coordinated action to establish stronger, transparent, and child-focused safeguarding systems.