KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Suhakam’s Children’s Commissioners have called for nationwide reforms to school safeguarding following the death of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, including tighter student check-out procedures, missing-student protocols and audits of safety gaps on school grounds.

In a statement today, the commissioners said schools needed to move beyond conventional security measures towards a “proactive, child-centred safeguarding culture”, particularly for activities held outside normal school hours.

“Every child has an inherent right to an education in a safe, secure, and protective environment,” they said.

Among the measures proposed were formal procedures to account for students during extra classes, co-curricular activities and sports training, as well as clear escalation protocols setting out when parents, school administrators and police should be alerted if a student goes missing.

They also called for targeted risk assessments of after-school activities, when staffing may be lower and pupils may move through isolated or poorly supervised parts of school grounds, alongside nationwide safeguarding audits examining student movement, reporting mechanisms and physical blind spots.

The recommendations come as police continue investigating Irene’s death at a school in Yong Peng, Batu Pahat, on Saturday.

The commissioners stressed that the criminal investigation and a broader Education Ministry safeguarding review were separate but complementary processes.

While police were responsible for establishing the facts and determining any criminal culpability, the ministry should examine supervision, risk management, administrative procedures and physical safety measures for possible systemic gaps, they said.

“Raising these broader systemic questions is essential for preventive risk management and does not imply or constitute a finding of institutional failure in this specific case,” they said.

The commissioners also urged the public, media and social media users not to speculate about the circumstances of Irene’s death, including unverified claims of bullying, while investigations were continuing.

They called for restraint over premature accusations and a “trial by media”, saying the privacy, dignity and presumption of innocence of any children involved as witnesses, affected pupils or individuals under investigation must be protected.

“Protecting the legal rights and confidentiality of children under investigation in no way diminishes the severity of the loss, nor does it preclude accountability in accordance with the law,” they said.

Irene, a Form Four student, was found unconscious and covered in blood in a school hall at about 5.50pm on Saturday.

Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said she had suffered multiple injuries to her head and body and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 16-year-old boy was detained in Yong Peng at about 7pm that day and remanded for six days until October 9 to assist investigations under Section 302 of the Penal Code. Police have said the motive and circumstances surrounding the case remain under investigation.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek has ordered a comprehensive review of school management and security following Irene’s death.

She said yesterday that while the school was equipped with CCTV cameras, none had been installed at the location where the incident occurred.

The ministry was also investigating the school’s security company to determine whether there had been any breach of standard operating procedures, she said.

Beyond physical security, the Children’s Commissioners called for immediate trauma-informed psychosocial support for affected pupils and teachers, saying child witnesses should not be subjected to unnecessary repeated questioning.

They also said schools should ensure reporting channels were confidential, accessible and trusted by pupils so children knew where to seek help if they felt unsafe or noticed warning signs among their peers.

“Children should be recognised as active partners in their own safety,” the commissioners said.

They said Irene’s death should serve as a catalyst for sustained reforms to child protection across Malaysian schools, with clearer accountability and stronger safeguarding frameworks.

“This heartbreaking incident must serve as a catalyst for meaningful, sustained, and nationwide institutional reform,” they said.