By Mohd Khairy Abdullah
Editor-in-Residence
Pensiangan, Sabah
KOTA KINABALU, Oct 4, 2026 — Malaysia must strengthen security and student protection measures in schools following a series of deaths involving pupils, the women’s wing of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) said on Sunday, calling for tighter surveillance, stronger preventive measures and expanded counselling services.
UPKO Women’s chief Mohina Ronnie Sidom said recent incidents had raised serious concerns about the safety and wellbeing of students in educational institutions.
Her call followed the discovery on Saturday of the body of a 16-year-old female student at a school in Yong Peng, Johor. Police are investigating the case as murder.
The incident came after another student death in Negeri Sembilan last month. The case involving Zara Qairina also remains unresolved, while the fatal stabbing of a female student in Selangor in October last year continues to draw public attention.
“These incidents should serve as a warning that student safety can no longer be treated as a secondary concern,” Mohina said in a statement.
She called for more frequent security patrols and said schools should consider increasing the number of security guards, where necessary, as well as deploying auxiliary police at higher-risk locations.
The installation and coverage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras should also be expanded, particularly in areas identified as vulnerable or where supervision was limited, she said.
“Strengthening security is not about creating an overly controlled school environment. It is about prevention and ensuring there are mechanisms in place to respond effectively when an incident occurs,” Mohina said.
She also called for continuous awareness programmes on bullying, violence, personal safety, mental health and student wellbeing.
Such programmes, she said, should not be introduced only after serious incidents occur.
Students should be made aware of their right to a safe learning environment and encouraged to report threats, harassment or other worrying behaviour to teachers and school authorities, she said.
Mohina also urged the authorities to strengthen school counselling services by increasing the number of counsellors and making counselling more accessible to students.
She said schools should establish stronger systems for early identification and monitoring of students showing signs that they may need emotional, psychosocial or counselling support.
Such interventions must be carried out professionally and ethically, she added, to ensure students were not stigmatised for seeking help.
“Student safety requires a coordinated effort involving the ministry, schools, security personnel, parents, counsellors, police and local communities,” Mohina said.
She said school safety should be treated as a comprehensive issue encompassing physical security, violence prevention, student awareness and psychosocial support.
The objective, she said, was to ensure schools remained places where students could learn, develop and seek help without fear.
