School violence should not be turned into a political issue as no minister wants incidents that threaten students’ safety or claim their lives to occur, says UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh.
He said student safety should be treated as a shared responsibility regardless of whether someone is from the government or opposition.
“No minister wants murder or violence to happen in schools.
“But cases like this will continue to occur if everyone simply waits for someone else to take action,” he said in a statement today.
Akmal said the government must take immediate action, but society should also not simply point fingers at the government, ministers or schools whenever incidents involving student discipline and safety occur.
He stressed that parents also have a responsibility to educate and monitor their children instead of leaving the responsibility entirely to schools.
“Children’s safety is not a political issue that should only be debated between the opposition and the government.
“Whether we are in the opposition or government, our children’s safety must be addressed together,” he said.
Akmal also urged all parties to be proactive in reporting signs of threats, bullying, intimidation and worrying behavioural changes before situations become more serious.
Among the preventive measures he called for were strengthening teachers’ disciplinary authority, providing legal protection for teachers and students, and installing CCTV cameras at strategic locations in schools.
He also called for stronger early detection systems for at-risk students and closer monitoring of content that glorifies gangsterism, fighting, bullying and violence.
“The issue today is not about finding someone to blame.
“The issue is whether we want to act before the next death occurs, or only act after it is too late,” he said.
Akmal stressed that students’ lives and safety should not be used as political ammunition, saying all parties must work together to ensure schools remain safe places for children.
