Unannounced visits urged to reveal real on-ground conditions and strengthen safety measures
Johor Speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi has urged state leaders to conduct surprise school inspections to better assess safety conditions and address rising concerns over student security.
Surprise Visits to Expose Real Conditions
Speaking at the Johor State Legislative Assembly, Mohd Puad proposed that state Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin perform unannounced school visits. He said these inspections should be done without notifying the Johor Education Department (JPNJ) or the Ministry of Education (MOE) to ensure that the true condition of school security can be observed.
Contrasting Security Experiences
Mohd Puad shared two contrasting encounters as examples. In one instance, he entered a school in Kuala Lumpur without any checks, while a rural school in Terengganu required him to sign a logbook before entering. The latter, he said, demonstrated proper safety discipline.
Growing Concerns Over Student Safety
He stressed that student safety has become a pressing issue, noting that crimes or violent incidents involving school students—once considered foreign—are now appearing in Malaysia. Surprise inspections, he argued, would help expose weaknesses that might never be formally reported.
Johor’s Broader Safety Initiative
Responding to questions on the Johor Student Character Programme (KRMJ) and the Anti-Bullying Campaign, Aznan highlighted that a Johor Safe Zone Committee has been established. The committee involves multiple state executive councillors to oversee comprehensive safety strategies for schools.
Support From Education Authorities
According to Aznan, JPNJ and district education offices support these efforts through ongoing training, implementation briefings, and frequent monitoring to ensure every school follows safety protocols consistently.
Police Partnership Strengthened
Aznan also highlighted strong collaboration with the Johor police contingent, which deploys school liaison officers under the Jom Ke Sekolah and Sekolah Rakan Cop Johor (SRJ) programmes. Recently, schools and dormitories have begun implementing QR code scanning to record police patrol activity more efficiently.
Johor’s push for unannounced school inspections reflects rising regional awareness of student safety. For communities in Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore, these measures signal a more proactive approach to preventing school-related risks and strengthening public confidence in campus security.
Sources: Bernama (2025) , The Sun (2025)
Keywords: Johor Safe Zone, Mohd Puad Zarkashi, Aznan Tamin, School Safety Johor, Anti-Bullying Campaign
