National Action to Restore Compassion and Accountability in Schools and Families

15 October 2025

KOTA KINABALU: In recent months, there was a series of tragic incidents that should never have occurred in places meant for learning and safety, Datuk Jannie Lasimbamg Sabah DAP Vice Chairperson said.

A 16-year-old was killed by her 14-year-old schoolmate in Bandar Utama. In Melaka, a gang rape case involved school students. In 2015, seven Orang Asli children fled school due to discrimination, five of them never returned.

"And here in Sabah, the heartbreaking loss of 13-year-old Zara Qairina revealed layers of neglect, bullying, and emotional pain. These tragedies are not isolated incidents; they reflect a deeper erosion of empathy, accountability, and community connection.'

"For too long, education has been viewed mainly through the lens of academics and infrastructure. We build classrooms and install technology, yet we neglect the emotional foundation of learning, empathy, respect, and human connection. When these values fade, indifference and violence take root," she said in a statement.

"We cannot simply fault schools or teachers, who already shoulder immense pressure. Many are overworked, handling administrative tasks alongside the emotional weight of guiding hundreds of young lives, often without adequate training in mental health."

Still, the system must evolve. Principals, teachers, and wardens should be trained to recognise early warning signs before they escalate into tragedy. Installing CCTV in key areas may enhance safety, but technology alone cannot mend a moral crisis.

Every school must have qualified counsellors as part of its core staff, not as an afterthought. Counsellors should focus not only on crisis response but also on prevention, identifying early signs of distress, anger, and isolation. The Child Safety and Protection Policy must be strictly enforced, with firm accountability for negligence.

Yet responsibility does not rest solely on institutions. Parents must reclaim their role as moral educators. Raising a child is not merely about providing comfort but shaping conscience and character. When a child harms another, parents must not defend blindly but engage, take responsibility, and work with schools to correct behaviour.

Family wellbeing is a matter of national importance. Yet many families today are silently struggling, weighed down by economic pressures, social comparison, and digital overload. These stresses often leave parents physically present but emotionally exhausted. Their unhealed anxiety and burnout can lead to emotional absence at home, creating confusion and detachment in children.

According to Jannie, to nurture emotionally resilient children, there must first be supportive emotionally healthy parents.

" I therefore urge the government to expand access to parental education programmes focused on emotional literacy and conflict resolution, provide community-based family therapy and mental health support, particularly in high-stress and low-income urban areas, and promote workplace policies that encourage work–life balance for parents."

"We must also reflect on the kind of community we have become. Once, it was said that it takes a village to raise a child, but today, that village has fallen silent. Neighbours seldom speak, and teachers and parents communicate only when problems arise. In this silence, our children are left to face the world alone."

There must be a shared sense of care and collective responsibility. Schools, parents, religious institutions, and local councils must work hand in hand to form networks of protection, guidance, and healing.

The solution lies not only in laws or discipline, but in compassion, accountability, and reconnection. We must restore safety, empathy, and moral conscience, in schools and in people.

Because the future of Malaysia depends not on how many A’s our children achieve, but on whether they grow up in a nation that truly cares for them, she stated.