PETALING JAYA: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has ordered a comprehensive review of school attendance records, security controls and patrols following the death of a 16-year-old student at a school in Yong Peng, Johor.
Fadhlina said any negligence or failure to carry out responsibilities properly would result in firm action.
In a Facebook post today, she said she had travelled to Yong Peng to obtain a firsthand update on the incident and received briefings from the police (PDRM), Johor Education Department (JPN), Batu Pahat District Education Office (PPD) and the school.
“I want everything under the Education Ministry’s responsibility to be thoroughly examined. Do not hide anything,” she said.
She said the review would include students’ attendance records during extra classes, as well as security arrangements and patrols at the school.
The security company responsible for the school was also asked to co-operate with the review, she added.
Fadhlina said, based on information from police, the victim was found unconscious on the school grounds before she was pronounced dead.
A 16-year-old male student has been arrested and remanded for six days to assist investigations, with the case being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
“The motive and cause of the incident are still under investigation by the police,” she said.
Fadhlina also met the victim’s family at Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat, saying the family deserved answers following the loss of their daughter.
“At a time like this, no one feels this loss more deeply than the family. A child has been lost. Her family deserves answers,” she said.
She stressed that the Education Ministry would give its full co-operation to police and would not pre-empt the ongoing investigation.
Counselling support is also being provided to students and school staff affected by the incident, she said.
Fadhlina urged the public to give the family space and respect the investigation, stressing that the truth must be established based on facts rather than speculation.
