THE recent tragedy at Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, is heartbreaking.
A 14-year-old boy, armed with knives, allegedly stabbed a schoolmate to death. Students described seeing him with blood on his clothes, roaming freely around the school compound and even entering classrooms.
As a father of five, with four of them in school, the incident was devastating. Nobody wants such a tragedy to happen. But above all, it sparks fear and worry about our children’s safety.
Based on various news reports, it seems there was no proper “lockdown” procedure during the incident. In those few minutes, the difference between chaos and control could have been a simple, practised protocol.
Teachers and students need to be trained on what to do, where to go, and how to protect themselves when violence happens within the school compound.
We have drills for fire and evacuation, but when it comes to violence or intruders, our approach is ad hoc, depending on instinct, courage, and sometimes luck. Safety should never depend on luck.
A proper lockdown procedure is not about turning schools into fortresses. It is about ensuring that if danger enters the gates, every teacher and student knows their role: doors locked, blinds drawn, communication lines open – clear steps that can save lives.
Countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have lockdown drills as part of their school safety culture.
Students learn to stay calm, teachers know how to secure classrooms, and parents are briefed on communication protocols.
When I first arrived in Australia in 2023, my five-year-old daughter came home and showed me how to hide and lock the door when the alarm rang for a lockdown.
To be fair, I believe our Education Ministry has safety circulars and emergency procedures.
But none of them outlines how a school should respond in real time to an active threat, a student with a weapon, an intruder, or any violent act within the school compound.
This gap has now become visible. When students recount seeing a bloodstained peer walk past their classroom, that is not just trauma; it is a mirror reflecting the absence of preparedness. We cannot blame teachers alone; they have never been trained for this.
We may not have a formal lockdown system yet, but it is not too late to build one. The Education Ministry, together with the Royal Malaysia Police and other authorities, can develop a simple national framework with clear signals, classroom procedures and communication steps. Every school can adapt it to its own context.
Just imagine our children watching the aggressor walk past their classroom. That image will stay with them for a long time. We owe them more than sympathy; we owe them safety.
My humble opinion is that we need a proper lockdown procedure in place. Better late than never.
KHAIRI JAAFAR
Malaysian higher education policy and governance researcher
Brisbane, Australia
