A recent incident that shook Malaysia to its core occurred near Pantai Merdeka, near Sungai Petani. Two students from Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) lost their lives during a kayaking activity that was meant to be part of their training. What was supposed to be an educational outdoor experience turned into a heartbreaking tragedy?
Do You Really Need This to Be a Teacher?
The immediate question that came to mind: Was this really necessary? My first reaction was shock, but also assumption. I thought, okay…maybe these are students training to become Pendidikan Jasmani (PJ) teachers. Maybe kayaking, outdoor survival, and all these physically demanding activities are part of their specialization. But after reading a bit more, these activities are compulsory for all students as part of the Bina Insan Guru (BIG) programme (Source: Comments under NST Online's Facebook Post). It’s about a system in which everyone is expected to have the same experience, even when the risks are real.
We've all heard of these “training” modules before, such as camping, starting a fire, cooking outdoors, tying ropes…yes, these are often seen as “character-building” activities. They're meant to teach resilience, teamwork, maybe even leadership. But do they have to come with this kind of risk? Because the truth is, not every student is the same. Some people are more physically active, more adventurous. Others are quieter, more academic, more comfortable in structured environments but both can be good teachers. It's not about how well you kayak or survive outdoors; it's about patience, empathy, responsibility, and the ability to guide and support others. So why are students being placed in situations that don’t reflect the actual job and, worse, could put their lives at risk?
This Shouldn’t Have Happened.
Reports mentioned that the students were swept off course, got entangled in fishing nets, and their kayak capsized (Source: The Rakyat Post). Yes, accidents happen, but situations like this don't just appear out of nowhere. They raised serious questions.
Was the location properly accessed? Were the risks clearly identified? Were there enough safety measures in place? Was there a proper emergency response plan?
Because when something goes wrong this badly, it doesn't just feel like bad luck; it feels like something was overlooked, and that’s a difficult reality to accept.
Tradition Shouldn’t Come Before Safety.
Some might argue that these activities are part of long-standing traditions, but tradition should never come at the cost of safety. Just because something has been done for years doesn't mean it shouldn't be improved. If these programmes are going to continue, then safety cannot be optional. Clear SOPs. Trained supervisions. Proper risk assessments and basic requirements, students at least need to know how to swim before joining a kayaking activity.
A Small Relief…
After everything, I came across another update. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has ordered all Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) campuses to temporarily suspend water and adventure activities following the incident (Source: Malaymail). At least, for now, no other students will be put in similar situations. On the other hand, it raises a bigger question. Why does something tragic have to happen first before action is taken? If these activities are risky enough to be suspended after an incident, then shouldn't the risks have already been taken seriously before? And since this is only a temporary suspension, what happens next? Will things go back to normal? Or will this finally be the moment where real changes happen?
What stayed with me the most wasn’t just the incident itself, but another piece of news that followed.
A mother, standing outside the morgue, crying and asking, “Where is my child? Mummy loves Joey… mummy doesn’t want Joey to die…” (Source: Malaymail). Every headline, every report, there are real people. Families. Dreams that were still in progress. These students didn’t sign up for danger. They signed up to become teachers. They were supposed to graduate, to step into classrooms, to guide the next generation. They were supposed to go home.
Felicia Yoan (feliciayoan11@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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