Much has been written about violence and bullying in schools following the stabbing of a female student by a male student and two rape cases in schools in October.

Many good suggestions have been made, chief of which is the call to reform the education system.

But I noticed that no one mentioned one of the main actors in the school system: headmasters and headmistresses.

We know that an organisation is as good as its leader. This applies to schools too.

I think one major reason for the deteriorating situation in national schools is the quality or attitude of school heads.

Most school heads have become too soft and too comfortable.

And this speaks volumes about the selection process. Are teachers promoted as school heads based on their capability or are there other considerations? Do connections to political parties or powerful personalities or race matter?

Any review of the schooling system must focus on the criteria for promotion to this crucial post.

Otherwise we will continue to hear of shocking stories such as the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl in school on Oct 2 in Melaka.

On Oct 14, we were horrified to learn that a Form 3 female student at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4 died after being allegedly stabbed by a male student during school hours. The girl, Yap Shing Xue, had more than 200 stab wounds.

Before we could digest this, news arrived on Oct 16 that four boys had been arrested for the alleged rape of a minor at a Baling, Kedah, boarding school.

Naturally these incidents have alarmed parents, especially since they came on the heels of news that bullying is on the rise in schools. Last year, there were 7,681 cases of bullying, up from the 6,528 cases in 2023.

Over the past three decades, I have asked teachers and students, whenever I had the opportunity, about their school heads and I found that few of them are role models.

Too many school heads today want to be known as being “friendly” and go out of their way to be friends with their teachers, staff, district education officials and students.

This disease also afflicts many teachers.

They don’t want problems because, I suspect, they don’t know how to handle them effectively.

In seeking a “good reputation” for themselves and a “good image” for their school, I’ve been told by some teachers, many school heads tend to sweep ugly incidents under the proverbial carpet.

Most school heads are not willing to take the bull by the horns and tame unruly students.

Not so the school heads of the 1950s-1970s who believed in nipping everything in the bud.

During my secondary school days, principal Long Heng Hua would make it a point to walk around the school almost every day.

Whenever he was seen leaving his room and approaching the classrooms, the whispered alarm would travel along the corridors: “Pak Long, Pak Long”.

Immediately, every student would become the delight of education ministers everywhere. They would pay such rapt attention to the teacher that new teachers could be forgiven for thinking they were doing a grand job.

Even the teachers would sit up or stand up straighter and look commanding as they diligently imparted lessons to students who were glued to their seats.

If he spotted any student standing outside the class as punishment by the teacher, or lurking outside while lessons were in progress, he only had this to say: “See me during recess”.

That meant only one thing: a caning.

Long would go through the term and trial examination results of most students, and the buttocks of those who did badly would be kissed by his cane.

And, naturally, naughty boys had frequent dates with his cane.

Often, he would stand near the school gates in the morning as the students entered. Anyone whose shirt was not tucked in or who wore dirty shirts or shoes, would be asked to explain himself.

He was not averse to giving a public caning.

Today, I’m told, few school heads walk the corridors and even if they do it is not regular. Few school heads, I’m told, are genuinely interested in the problems of teachers or students.

Like Long, assistant principal  Ravinder Singh would also be at the school gates frequently.

They, and afternoon supervisor Tong Yoke Seng, would even go round to the toilets to see if anyone was smoking and if the toilets were clean.

They knew the naughty boys by name, just as they knew the names of students who excelled academically and in sports.

Students feared both Long and Ravinder. But they also had a grudging respect for them.

Today hardly any student fears his or her school head, not to mention their teachers.

Long and Ravinder were not interested in being liked by their students. They were interested in turning their students into well rounded human beings who would succeed in life.

They were also not interested in making education officials feel important, they were interested in turning students into important people in future.

In one of my visits to the school after I started working, I asked Ravinder how he felt being hated. He said: “Let them hate, so long as they fear.”

I thought it was profound. Later, I found out that he had borrowed the words of Roman poet Lucius Accius. But that didn’t shake my feeling that it was a profound statement.

My seniors at King Edward VII Secondary School (KE VII), Taiping, also tell me that principals of their time too had walked the corridors.

National footballer and top coach M Karathu remembers principal JA McCumisky walking around school, with an umbrella, to keep an eye on students and teachers.

“He was very strict and stressed on discipline,” Karathu recalls.

Despite the fact that the students of KE VII were the naughtiest in the district, there were few cases of bullying, although, now and then, a few rambunctious boys would punch each other inside or outside school and settle it amicably.

Today, both teachers and school heads are reluctant to confront unruly students or discipline them. No one wants to be the “bad guy”, and almost everyone prefers to mind their own business.

Not so in earlier days.

Talking about Long, former student Aziz Salleh has this to say: “Mr Long had a clear vision of what he wanted for the school and he probably got this message to all the teachers at that time; otherwise, how could the teachers be so dedicated?”

Long brooked no nonsense when it came to studies and sports excellence. Although strict, he cared for his students.

Lawyer K Paramanathan, some of whose school athletics records remain unbroken for almost 60 years, says: ”I used to train on my own in the afternoons and on school holidays. On many occasions I saw him quietly watching me, even during the school holidays. When I left school he wrote by hand on my testimonial that I trained indefatigably on the field and showed the same attitude in studies.”

Former teacher Yap Guan Keat tells this story about Long:

When Yap first came to KE VII as a young teacher, one of his Form 1 students would come late every day. The boy would enter the class and immediately place his hand out to be caned. Yap caned him a few times before marching him off to see Long, complaining that something was wrong with the boy as even caning did not change his attitude.

After listening to Yap, Long told him to wait outside while he talked to the boy. He then called Yap in and said: “Yes, something is wrong – not with him but with you.”

A shocked Yap stared at Long. “Did you find out why he was late? He told me his mother is a tapper and she has been ill, so he does the tapping early in the morning on her behalf and then walks to school from his estate home, a distance of about 10km.

“Let’s find out if he’s telling the truth. You come with me and we will visit his house.”

The following afternoon, Long and Yap went to the student’s house to pay a surprise visit. They found that he was telling the truth and that his mother was indeed bed-ridden.

On the way back, tears rolled down Yap’s eyes at the boy’s plight and the fact that he had misjudged him.

Yap recalls Long telling him that one should not rush to judge others. Long said: “As a teacher, it is our job to find out what is wrong when a student keeps coming late or repeating something despite advice or caning.”

A few days later, the boy began arriving on time, prompting Yap to enquire what had happened. The student told him that Long had bought him a bicycle.

Several years later, the student, who had started working, returned to see Long and handed over some money, telling him to buy bicycles for 10 poor boys.

We have too few school heads like this today; which speaks volumes not only about the quality of school heads but also the way the selection process is done.

Next: Are parents overprotective?

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not reflect those of FMT.