Police should focus on threats to students, not truancy, say experts

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia academic Effendi Ewan Matore argues that the Kuala Lumpur police should not be tasked with monitoring students who skip school. Effendi contends that schools and the social welfare department should take the lead in addressing the reasons behind truancy, including poverty, learning difficulties, and family problems.

He cautions that the police lack the necessary expertise in education, social work, and policy tools to tackle these root causes. Meanwhile, Suhaiza Hanim Zailani from Universiti Malaya’s Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies supports profiling students who skip school, but only when there are threats like gang activity or substance abuse.

She insists that the focus should be on identifying the underlying issues causing absenteeism and providing appropriate assistance, rather than treating students as potential offenders. Suhaiza emphasizes that privacy must be protected and that addressing the underlying causes of truancy is crucial for long-term success.