KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has expressed continued sadness over the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old student at SMK Bandar Utama 4 in Petaling Jaya in October.
"I never imagined that such a tragedy could happen in Malaysia, more so, in Selangor. I could only think of the families of these students. I feel deeply for the family of the deceased.”
Sultan Sharafuddin said he had given deep thought to what had happened.
"I have listened to many views. One thing is certain, we cannot ignore this. I pray it won’t happen ever again, anywhere.
"It is more than just a disciplinary problem, it is about values, environment, and digital influence.
"Malaysians are quick to blame other people. Teachers are blamed, the Education Minister is blamed, the ministry is blamed. We blamed everyone except ourselves as parents,’’ the Ruler said in an interview with Bernama in conjunction with his 80th birthday.
His Royal Highness said: "We have no idea what kind of games these minors are playing online. Is the content violent in nature? Do they promote forbidden content?
"We expect teachers to be surrogate parents after the children are dropped off at the school gates,’’ he said.
Sultan Sharafuddin added that the problem grew in the absence of support when families are too busy to connect, when schools focus more on grades than emotional well-being, and when online platforms become a child’s primary source of social activities.
Therefore, the Ruler called for greater digital literacy and empathy education, not just in schools, but for parents as well.
"Know what your kids are doing. Please take a more active role to talk to your children. They have become more connected online than ever, but increasingly disconnected from empathy,’’ Sultan Sharafuddin said.
His Royal Highness said he was happy that the government was taking steps to prohibit children under the age of 16 from accessing social media, saying it was in the right direction.
The Ruler urged the government to emulate the move by Denmark, which has introduced educational initiatives that emphasise social and emotional learning as a core component of the national curriculum, most notably through a mandatory weekly class dedicated to developing empathy and respect.
Since 1993, all children in Danish public schools, from ages 6 to 16, are required to take part in the weekly "klassens tid” (Class Time).
"Such initiatives are important. It is not good enough to simply punish, but children must learn to respect people of other faiths and races, for example. Laws alone are not sufficient.
"We must instil the importance of values, tolerance and respect in our kids,” Sultan Sharafuddin added. - Bernama
> Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai is the Chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama)
