GEORGE TOWN: Preliminary investigations into the death of a Form Two student who fell from the eighth floor of a secondary school building here suggests there is no link to bullying.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid said information obtained from the state Education Department indicates that the 14-year-old girl was experiencing emotional stress and depression.
Mohamad, who is also state Islamic religious affairs, education, higher education and community unity committee chairman, said the department is still conducting further investigations.
"The student is believed to have been emotionally distressed and was showing signs of depression before the incident. There is no evidence to suggest bullying.
"After the incident, officers from the district education office immediately went to the scene to provide support and comfort to the school community," he told reporters here on Monday (Nov 19).
In the 5.57pm incident, the student fell to her death from the eighth floor of a private secondary school building in Jelutong here.
Earlier, Timur Laut district police chief ACP Abdul Rozak Muhammad said investigations at the scene and an examination of the deceased's body found no evidence of foul play.
In a statement on Monday, Abdul Rozak added that a note, believed to have been written by the student, was found at the scene, indicating that she was overwhelmed by academic pressure.
Meanwhile, state youth, sports and health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said the Penang Health Department had sent a psychologist to the school.
He said immediate action was taken to provide psychological help to teachers and students possibly in shock or traumatised by the incident. – Bernama
