When a place meant to nurture young minds and shield them from harm becomes a source of fear, something fundamental is lost. The school, long regarded as a sanctuary where children learn, grow and build friendships, takes on a more troubling character when violence breaches its gates.

A spate of violence in Malaysian schools, including fatal attacks that have claimed young lives, has sent shockwaves through the nation.

When Malaysiakini spoke to parents, students and those entrusted with safeguarding children, their accounts revealed a growing sense of unease, punctuated by calls for firmer discipline, closer supervision and greater vigilance at home and in school.

For one Form Three student at a national secondary school in Petaling Jaya, staying safe begins with a lesson his parents taught him long before the recent spate of violence.