Our children deserve better: time to make schools safe again

A school should be a place where children feel safe, friendships flourish, differences are respected, and every child knows that someone cares.

It should be a place where teachers inspire, parents trust, and children grow not only in knowledge but also in character.

Yet we read about tragic incidents of violence, bullying and the loss of young lives in our schools.

Could these tragedies have been prevented? Were there red flags? Did these children have someone to turn to?

Time to act

As an educator, I believe that a school’s greatest achievement is not simply excellent examination results, but the kind of human beings it nurtures.

What does academic excellence mean if a child is afraid to attend school, humiliated by classmates, or feels invisible within its walls?

I have had parents standing before me with tears in their eyes, asking for just one thing: that their children grow up to be good people. Their plea has stayed with me. Every child deserves an excellent education in a safe, caring and supportive environment.

Bullying is not merely a disciplinary issue that children will eventually outgrow. It can damage confidence, emotional wellbeing and a child’s sense of belonging.

While those who bully others must be held accountable, punishment alone may not change the attitudes and beliefs behind their behaviour.

We cannot condemn our children for displaying behaviours that we, as adults, have modelled, tolerated or failed to challenge.

We must protect victims, support affected children, address harmful behaviour and help every child learn responsibility, empathy and respect.

This requires more than occasional motivational talks or campaigns launched after a tragedy. It requires a sustained transformation of our school culture.

A lesson from SMK Bandar Kuching No 1

In 2006, while serving at SMK Bandar Kuching No 1 in Sarawak, I introduced the Attitude Breakthrough Challenge (ABC) to demonstrate that positive attitudes can be developed, and character strengthened through consistent practice and shared responsibility.

The initiative went beyond punishing misconduct.

It sought to empower teachers, engage parents and encourage students to take ownership of their behaviour. Students were encouraged to support one another in making better choices.

The aim was not to shame children or make them police their peers, but to build a community where positive behaviour was valued and everyone had a part to play.

Its key elements included peer accountability, teacher empowerment and parental engagement, supported by a structured system of merit and demerit codes, focusing more on the recognition of positive behaviour, and graduated responses to misconduct.

Student suspension cases recorded by the education ministry (MoE) fell from 136 in 2005 to fewer than 40 in 2006, followed by 16 in 2007, fewer than 10 in 2008, eight in 2009, six in 2010 and three in 2011.

For me, the greatest lesson was this: Negative behaviour need not be accepted as inevitable.

When teachers are empowered, parents are involved, students are accountable and positive behaviour is recognised, meaningful change becomes possible.

Making positive attitudes a way of life

The ABC, now rebranded as Positive Attitude Builds Character (PABC), must be more than a short-term programme or a slogan on a school wall; it must become a way of life.

Children need opportunities to practise positive values, supported by adults who model them and systems that reinforce them consistently.

While PABC is not a magic solution to every school safety challenge, its principles and practical experiences offer valuable lessons for a comprehensive approach to prevention, accountability, character development and student wellbeing.

We must distinguish between holding children accountable and labelling them as failures. Children who make mistakes need appropriate consequences, guidance and opportunities to change, while victims must be protected and serious misconduct addressed promptly.

A positive school culture does not happen by accident. It requires committed leadership, empowered teachers, engaged parents, responsible students and effective systems to identify problems early, monitor concerns and ensure timely follow-up.

A safe school is not one where no complaints are made. It is one where children feel safe enough to speak up and trust that adults will act.

I appeal to the MoE, school heads, parents and communities to make safe, happy and inclusive schools a national priority.

When a child feels safe, valued and happy at school, learning becomes more meaningful, relationships flourish, and every child has a greater opportunity to thrive.

Let us make the main thing the main thing: the wellbeing, character and future of our children. Amid the many demands, distractions and competing priorities that bombard us daily, we must never lose sight of what matters most.

Every child must know that someone cares

After more than four decades in education, I remain passionate about the potential of every child.

I believe in the teacher who encourages a struggling student, the school head who refuses to ignore a problem, the parent who sacrifices for a child’s future, and the child who can grow into a responsible and caring person when given the right guidance and support.

Children should not have to remember school as a place where they were afraid. They must remember it as a place where they discovered their abilities, built friendships, learnt to respect others and found adults who believed in them.

Teachers should not feel that they must fight these battles alone. They deserve to feel empowered, supported and valued.

We may not be able to prevent every difficulty a child faces in life, but we can do far more to ensure that school is never a place where a child has to live in fear.

Our children deserve better. They deserve schools that are safe, happy, caring and inclusive. The time to act is now.

Cheli Tamilselvam Nadarajah is a fomer school principal and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.

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