Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet will discuss with the Royal Malaysia Police the possibility of deploying more officers to visit schools across the country.
He also said the government would propose raising the minimum age for access to social media platforms from the current 13 to 16, noting that other countries, such as Indonesia and Australia, have similar age restrictions.
These measures were discussed by the Cabinet following two recent incidents – a 15-year-old girl in Melaka who was gang-raped by five classmates in a classroom, and a 14-year-old boy in Petaling Jaya who fatally stabbed a schoolmate during school hours.
“We will discuss with the police the possibility of ensuring an omnipresence at schools,” said Fahmi. “The Home Ministry will issue a full statement regarding the presence of police officers in schools. We hope this will send the message that schools are safe places for everyone.”
He added that the Education Ministry would issue guidelines requiring schools to conduct weekly spot checks.
“But the spot checks must occur on different days,” he said.
Regarding the proposal to raise the age limit for social media access, Fahmi said the government would hold discussions with social media platforms in Singapore next month.
“We can achieve this by using official government documents for effective registration, such as MyKad, a passport, or MyDigital ID,” he said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Cabinet was considering a ban on the use of smartphones by students under the age of 16, as well as the need to strengthen value-based and moral education.
He also warned school heads not to cover up cases of student misconduct in an effort to protect their school’s image.
Yesterday, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry already had a “safe school” framework in place but proposed reforms in five key areas – mental health, reproductive and social education to prevent sexual violence, child protection, teacher care, and student voices – to make the framework more effective.
Academic groups, safety experts, and child advocates had previously suggested that schools should have trained psychologists, better discipline frameworks, and the appointment of school safety coordinators nationwide.
They also emphasised the need for cooperation among families, schools, the Education Ministry, and the public.
Malaysian Association for Social Workers (MASW) honorary secretary Amy Bala had also urged stakeholders to adopt a child-centred approach amid growing concerns over crime, violence, and disciplinary issues among schoolchildren.
