Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, who leads the Parent Action Group for Education, said there was no assurance that the informer’s identity would be kept confidential and therefore no guarantee that he or she would be safe from the wrath of the student exposed.
“If confidentiality was assured, maybe the kids would be willing to speak up,” she told FMT. “But how confidential can it remain? At some point, the student would have to be identified. Otherwise, how are the authorities going to ensure that the information is valid?
“If a student named in the complaint gets picked up, the one who spoke up will be in terrible trouble.”
She said there was a need for a standard operating procedure that would take into account confidentiality and student safety. “Maybe a special committee should be present when the complaint box is opened. There must also be measures to ensure the safety of the person who reports.”
But even if the complaint box worked to bring crime or misbehaviour to light, she said, it would not address the root of the problem.
“In the first place, why do some students take part in gangsterism and bullying? There must be a cause. Students don’t misbehave for no reason.”
Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid last week gave the order for complaint boxes to be installed in national schools to facilitate tip-offs on student misconduct and criminal activity.
This followed a disclosure by Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar that students were involved in 113 drug cases in Kedah last year. Also, National Anti-Drugs Agency records show that 415 students between the ages of 13 and 15 were admitted into a drug rehabilitation centre in Kulim last year.
National Parent-Teacher Association Consultative Council chairman Mohamad Ali Hassan said students might lack the maturity to lodge reports in a responsible manner.
“Honestly, I don’t know if our students are ethical or educated enough to use the complaint box,” he told FMT.
Fake reports could also mean more work for teachers, he said. “Nasty students will give nasty remarks and it is the teacher’s responsibility to filter the reports. It will be an additional burden on the teachers.”
Instead of complaint boxes, school authorities should provide counselling for problematic students, he said. “Be open with the student; have a one-to-one discussion. That will address the problem effectively.”
Psychologist and criminologist Geshina Ayu Mat Saat of Universiti Sains Malaysia said there appeared to be no mechanism to ensure accountability. This could encourage false reports, she added.
“Who is accountable for the box, the reports and eventual action? Is the information on the reports shared with the parents of the victims, witnesses or the juveniles themselves?
“How are the reports validated? Due to the anonymity of the informer, it is difficult to ascertain the identity of the victim or witness and the facts of the misconduct.”
However, she acknowledged that the idea had its good points. She said it provided a platform for students to speak up against indiscipline and criminal activity in school. “It directly engages them to be proactive in crime prevention instead of standing by.”
But students must be told that complaints alone were not enough to curb delinquency and misconduct, she said. “Students must be equipped and empowered with skills to say no to criminal intimidation and involvement, and knowledge of what to do if they witness or become a victim of crime.”