KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Suhakam’s Children’s Commissioners have called for nationwide reforms to school safeguarding following the death of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, including tighter student check-out procedures, missing-student protocols and audits of safety gaps on school grounds.
In a statement today, the commissioners said schools needed to move beyond conventional security measures towards a “proactive, child-centred safeguarding culture”, particularly for activities held outside normal school hours.
“Every child has an inherent right to an education in a safe, secure, and protective environment,” they said.
Among the measures proposed were formal procedures to account for students during extra classes, co-curricular activities and sports training, as well as clear escalation protocols setting out when parents, school administrators and police should be alerted if a student goes missing.
