KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — The Education Ministry (MOE) today said guidelines will be issued soon on a proposed ban against the use of smartphones by students aged below 16 in schools.
The ministry said it will draw up suitable guidelines following the government’s proposed immediate measures to enhance safety at all educational institutions, including prohibiting students under 16 from using smartphones in school.
“That guideline will be issued in the near future,” it said in a statement this evening.
MOE said it welcomed the Cabinet’s decision today on the immediate safety measures for educational institutions, including efforts to increase police monitoring at all such institutions.
The ministry also said it supported the government’s intention to set 16 as the minimum age for social media use, which it said is aimed at protecting children and youths from cyber threats.
It added that the Communications Ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, will study the mechanism to enforce this minimum age for social media use.
MOE also urged all schools under its purview to strengthen the role of their respective Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) and local communities in improving safety at such institutions.
The ministry’s statement follows a series of recent incidents in schools nationwide, including the fatal stabbing this week of 16-year-old student Yap Shing Xuen by her 14-year-old schoolmate at their secondary school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.