School safety must be built on understanding, not militarisation

We woke up this week to the deeply disturbing news of an alleged stabbing at a Pembroke secondary school, an incident that has shaken families, educators, young people, and our wider society. 

Before anything else, I express solidarity with the injured 14-year-old student and his parents, who are surely living through fear, shock, and unimaginable worry. I also extend my thoughts to the family whose son, also 14, has just been charged with attempted murder.

When violence erupts in a school, fear takes over. And fear often leads to knee-jerk demands for tougher controls: more surveillance, more guards, more barriers. But if we allow fear alone to shape our response, we risk creating the illusion of safety while ignoring its foundations.

What I am about to say may not be the most popular view right now, but it is the only sustainable one: true safety will never come from militarising our schools. It comes from understanding and addressing the emotional struggles that lead a child to lose control in the first place.

Children carry more than we can see

One of the first projects of The Malta Trust Foundation, which I founded 10 years ago, was the Blossom Project, which offers psychosocial support in 15 schools, including Pembroke’s St Clare College.

Less than two months ago, Blossom released a report that shed light on schoolchildren’s increasing struggles, revealing how disruptive and challenging behaviour, family problems and anxiety were the most prevalent difficulties driving children to seek counselling.

Our experience in this field, shows aggression in adolescence rarely appears from nowhere. Many young people silently carry a number of hurts and stresses: from bullying and exclusion to family conflict, academic pressure, trauma, mental health difficulties, emotional regulation challenges, loneliness or isolation… the list of pain is endless.

Some children turn inward; others act outward. Both paths are cries for help. Both require early, empathetic, professional intervention.

If we only respond with increased security measures, we may temporarily ease our own fears, but we will not prevent future crises. What prevents violence is psychosocial support that is consistent, accessible, and grounded in professional expertise.

Parents need support too, not blame

Families across Malta are understandably worried about what happened. Yet no parent can meet every emotional need a child has, especially in an age of complex digital pressures, social comparisons, and constant connectivity.

Parents too are facing their own struggles, often with both working and attempting to balance life’s demands. They too will benefit enormously from school-based guidance, mental health support, and timely professional advice.

Strengthening psychosocial structures is not optional; it is essential for children and for the families doing their best to raise them.

Teachers are carrying a heavy load

Teachers care deeply about their students, but they cannot simultaneously be educators, counsellors, behavioural specialists, and crisis responders. Classrooms today reflect emotional realities that far exceed the resources teachers have.

A supported educator is far better positioned to support a struggling student. To keep schools safe, teachers need stronger support systems: more counsellors, psychologists and social workers; trauma-informed training; cross-cultural counselling; and clear, rapid referral pathways, among others.

Malta needs to expand the models that work 

Malta already has initiatives that demonstrate what effective support looks like. The Malta Trust Foundation’s Blossom Project places professional counsellors in schools to offer therapeutic support to students who need a safe space to process their experiences.

These counsellors work hand in hand with guidance teachers, social workers, psychologists, youth workers, and other professionals in state colleges, forming a team capable of identifying early warning signs and intervening before problems escalate.

Their work demonstrates the real impact of how psychosocial care can prevent harm and strengthen the emotional wellbeing of young people. But these services are still too limited for the growing needs in Maltese schools.

The Pembroke incident is a stark reminder of why we urgently need more, not less, psychosocial professionals in every school, whether state, church, or independent.

Policymakers must address the root cause

If Malta is serious about school safety, policy must shift from short-term reaction to long-term prevention. Violence is not just a disciplinary issue; it is fundamentally a psychosocial one.

Policymakers must prioritise the following: increased numbers of counsellors, psychologists, and social workers; set up early identification systems; have integrated wellbeing teams; provide sustainable funding for in-school support; and establish better coordination between education, health, and social services

Cameras and barriers may reduce risk, but they cannot heal distress.

Compassion is prevention

The young boy who has been charged with attempted murder for the Pembroke incident is, above all, a child; a child, who according to what emerged in court, has been suffering from bullying for years; a child who needs professional help, guidance, and rehabilitation.

Showing compassion to a child in crisis is not being soft, it is prevention. It is how we protect others, and how we build a safer society in the long run.

The way forward

Safer schools will not be built through fear or militarisation. They will be built through connection, presence, and care. This path requires investment, commitment, and patience. It may not be the easiest or most popular position today, but it is the only one that will protect our children tomorrow.

The Pembroke incident must guide us toward strengthening psychosocial teams, expanding projects like Blossom, and ensuring every child has someone to turn to long before crisis erupts.

Safety begins with understanding the emotional worlds of our children, and with supporting the professionals who care for them.

Former President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is President of the Mediterranean Children’s Movement and founder of The Malta Trust Foundation.