BANTING, July 8 — State executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Saari yesterday urged school administrations to tighten security and strengthen social advocacy to curb the smuggling of dangerous weapons into schools.
She said there are two critical aspects that need serious attention to prevent such incidents.
“First is controlling entry and exit security. How access is gained to bring in unauthorised equipment.
“The second is advocacy, specifically for the student affairs division, to identify if any of these students are registered as people with disabilities (OKU),” she told Media Selangor after visiting a victim of a school stabbing at Banting Hospital here yesterday.
Anfaal emphasised the importance of educating the school community to understand diversity among students, particularly those who are neurodivergent or have mental health issues, to prevent bullying.
“We need to (ingrain into) students that within the school, there are those who are typical, neurotypical, who have different ways of thinking and so on … so do not make fun of them, do not take joking lightly. It is natural for teenagers to joke around, but sometimes it happens repeatedly,” she said.
She also said the responsibility of monitoring these early symptoms of emotional distress among teenagers should not rest solely on schools, but needs parental involvement.
Anfaal said school counsellors and Youth Mentors (PRS) are tasked with an active front-line role to identify these symptoms before they escalate into violence.
“If (PRS) notice any worrying symptoms, they need to report them to the teachers so action can be taken, so we need to be more vigilant.
“I believe it is not just the school; parents also must take responsibility. Do not simply send your children to school and leave it entirely to … the school and teachers,” she said.
However, Anfaal stressed that the state government’s approach is not just reactive, but a long-term, integrated plan spanning various ministries and departments.
“We do not want a reactive approach, or one that only responds when an incident occurs, we do this continuously through (state executive councillor for public health and environment) Jamaliah (Jamaluddin), we are running the PeerZ programme.
“PeerZ aims to identify and enhance knowledge about identifying mental health factors or symptoms. Therefore, there are several matters we can mobilise together … to ensure our children in schools stay safe,” she said.
Anfaal explained that the PeerZ programme, which began in 2024, teaches PRS how to identify early signs such as anxiety, depression, or distress among their peers that could lead to dangerous actions.
Media Selangor on Monday reported that a girl had been injured after allegedly being stabbed by an attacker at a school here.
Several parents urged the school administration to adopt stricter entry measures into the school to ensure student safety.
