In the wake of two deeply disturbing incidents; the gang rape case involving students at a school in Melaka, the recent school stabbing in Bandar Utama and at the time of this writing another gang rape in a school in Kedah; public outrage has surged, and rightly so. But what’s troubling is how quickly the blame gets funnelled almost exclusively towards one party: the education system and the educators.
If you’ve been reading the comments online, you’ll notice a familiar chorus: “Our education system is failing.” “Make Pendidikan Moral mandatory again.” “Schools aren’t teaching values anymore.” While there’s some truth in saying the system has its flaws, let’s be honest- school is only part of the equation. If we’re serious about addressing the root of the problem, we need to widen the lens. This is taking into account that on average, a student spends only 5.5 hours a day in school which leaves much of his/her time in a family setting or amongst their peers.
Let’s start by stating the obvious: Yes, the Malaysian education system is imperfect. We have outdated syllabus, overstretched teachers, and a lack of emphasis on critical thinking or emotional intelligence. But making Pendidikan Moral a compulsory subject again is not the silver bullet some seem to think it is. Teaching values in a classroom for 30 minutes a week doesn’t undo years of neglect or misguidance at home.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: everything starts at home.
Values like empathy, respect, discipline, and responsibility are not magically absorbed through textbooks. They are lived, and they are taught, day in, day out, by the people closest to us growing up: our parents and families. We need to also take cognizance that children often mimic or reflect the habits or behaviours of their primary caregivers and the surrounding environment.
Children don’t just wake up one day and decide to become violent or cruel. These behaviours are often shaped over time by what they see, hear, and experience in their daily environments. If a child grows up witnessing aggression, consuming toxic content online without supervision, or being deprived of emotional support, how can we expect them to know right from wrong, let alone act on it?
Consider one of the 3 cases mentioned above, the stabbing in the school which occurred in a school located in Bandar Utama. Bandar Utama is highly urban and consists of mainly T20 and M40 students of which both primary caregivers work their own jobs leaving children unsupervised for much of the day; the lack of parental guidance leaves these children with no supervision on what media is consumed and further the influence of peers alike is not regulated.
So no, the education system isn’t the only problem. The bigger failure might be happening much closer to home.
We need to stop absolving families of responsibility but unfortunately we tend to be “forgiving” of the responsibility of the primary caregivers. I am sure the readers would have heard of the comment that the parents have suffered enough which indirectly absolves them of the abovementioned responsibility. Parents are the first moral educators. They are the ones who decide what kind of content their children are exposed to, what kind of people they become, and how they navigate the world. It’s too convenient to blame schools when, in many cases, the foundational work hasn’t even been done at home.
And yes, children themselves carry responsibility too. At a certain age, accountability must kick in. The line between immaturity and crime needs to be drawn, and justice needs to be served accordingly.
We’re not saying schools don’t matter. Of course they do. But they are a support system, not a substitute for parenting. We can’t keep expecting teachers and textbooks to fix what is broken at the dinner table.
So the next time a tragedy like this happens, and we pray it doesn’t, maybe instead of asking “What’s wrong with our education system?”, we should also be asking: “What’s happening in these children’s homes?”
Because no subject, no syllabus, and no school can do what a strong, value-driven upbringing can.
That said, this does not mean we shouldn’t make every effort to enhance our education system. But perhaps our focus should extend beyond academics, to the safety and security within our schools.
As Syed Saddiq highlighted in his recent speech in Dewan Rakyat, public schools remain the pilihan utama for many B40 families who see education as the pathway to a better future. Yet, with the recent spate of troubling cases, it will completely be understandable if parents hesitate to send their children to school.
Children go to school not just to learn from books, but to socialise, build confidence, and develop communication skills. When they stay away, they lose not only academic exposure, but also the chance to interact with peers, discover their potential, and grow through co-curricular activities.
In response to these safety concerns, some have proposed installing CCTVs in schools to deter crime. While this is a step forward, it raises practical questions about cost, maintenance, and monitoring. Moreover, CCTVs alone don’t prevent crime, they only record it.
According to the Routine Activities Theory, CCTVs can act as “capable guardians,” but their effectiveness depends entirely on whether someone is actively monitoring the footage and able to respond quickly. This again leads to questions of manpower and resources: are our teachers now expected to shoulder yet another role?
We need real solutions that address the rot at its root, not just nip at the surface. We believe that mental health assessments, both for children and awareness among parents, are crucial. Parents must be observant and educated on early warning signs that may point toward behavioural issues or potential delinquency.
One practical initiative could be a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and mental health professionals to produce educational materials, such as infographic brochures that guide parents on recognising early red flags. These materials can be distributed through schools, social media, and news channels. The Welfare Department, with its experience in handling children’s welfare, can also play a supporting role in this intervention.
Ultimately, we must ask ourselves: how can we make schools safer, truly safer, for our children, who spend almost as much time there as at home?
How can we restore parents’ confidence when sending their children off each morning?
How can we ensure that the simple act of dropping them at school will never be the last time they see them?
We owe our children more than lessons and exams. We owe them safety, dignity, and care.
The question is not just what our schools are doing, but what we all are doing. Because when a child’s safety is compromised, it’s not just a school that has failed, it’s a community that has turned a blind eye.
It’s time we stop pointing fingers and start joining hands. Only then can we make sure that every child who walks into school in the morning comes home safe at the end of the day.
Muthiah & Sabrina are simply two lawyers with plenty of thoughts to share. Nothing here is meant to offend. Only to invite reflection and conversation.
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