Are your children sleeping in a hostel tonight?

Kuala Pilah police detain two 16-year-olds following the death of a 14-year-old junior in a hostel bed. The Education Ministry is conducting an audit, fearing this is not the first or last such tragedy. Should the government reconsider turning schools into day-only institutions and closing hostel facilities? Government schools should focus on providing instruction, not raising children.

Hostels are an unnecessary burden that detracts from core educational goals. Parenting is a full-time job, and the government is ill-equipped to handle it. Bullying is worse when students live together in hostels. The prime minister, too, experienced hostel life and knows the potential for disaster. Defenders of hostels argue that some good comes from the experience, but the extreme case of fatalities highlights a larger dysfunction.

Instead of maintaining the government hostel system, the government should transition schools to full-board or private institutions. Long-distance education, mobile teachers, and AI-driven sessions can help overcome physical limitations in education.