Presidential candidates vow to improve social safety net

Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) The three presidential candidates on Thursday vowed to redouble efforts to improve the "social safety net" and the safety of children if elected, in the wake of a ninth-grader being stabbed to death at school by a schoolmate.

The current campus safety inspection rules are flawed, contain many loopholes and are insufficient, Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) said.

The Education Ministry last year introduced an amendment to the rules on when teachers are allowed to conduct a safety inspection, stating that teachers at all levels of education, in principle, are not allowed to go through students' belongings - for example, bags - unless they have a reasonable belief they are carrying narcotics, firearms, or knives, Hou said.

In addition, at least two parent committee members must be present to oversee the inspection, which must be filmed, he said, adding that these rules have left teachers unable to prevent violence on campus in the name of student privacy.

Hou suggested that the rules be relaxed to allow a search to be conducted as long as the student in question and another teacher are present, with the proviso that if a student is frisked it must be by a teacher of the same sex.

The former National Police Agency chief also pledged to stiffen penalties for gangsters found to have infiltrated schools to recruit minors.

Meanwhile, the government should inject more resources to strengthen the social safety net, he said.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Taiwan's incumbent vice president, said the government should engage in introspection to prevent similar incidents from occurring at any school in the country.

Lai said if elected, he would rigorously enforce the "social security net 2.0" policy introduced in 2021, which includes measures to prevent at-risk teenagers from exhibiting deviant behavior, by identifying at-risk teens and providing preemptive counseling.

With these measures, identified individuals can receive continuous assistance to help them overcome their difficulties, Lai said.

The vice president said that he would push for a legal drive to amend the Student Guidance and Counseling Act to enable troubled students to gain early access to psychological counseling, thereby preventing their mental health from deteriorating and tragedies from occurring.

Meanwhile, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) asked everyone to join with him in a moment of silence for the dead ninth-grader.

The incident must not be forgotten after the shock subsides, like so many social incidents have, he added.

"Prevention is better than cure" when it comes to similar issues, which involve not only government agencies but also the private sector - for example, non-government organizations could help monitor after-school institutions, the former Taipei mayor said.

He asked why the alleged murderer, a junior-high school student, would bring a switchblade knife to school, whether this could have been detected earlier, and whether his actions could have been stopped.

"How do we establish a reporting mechanism under the social security net to provide children and parents with a safe environment to live in? This is something a leader should consider, and I'd like to invite the other two presidential candidates to think about this and share their views," he said.

The incident happened on Monday and started during the school's noon break when a female student went to an adjacent classroom and argued with a male student who asked her to leave. The girl reportedly stormed out and asked a male classmate to confront the other student.

After returning to the neighboring classroom, the two male students started to argue and when the confrontation turned physical the girl's friend pulled out a switchblade knife and stabbed the other student multiple times in the chest and neck, leaving him without vital signs.

Despite efforts to save him, he died of his injuries late Tuesday night.