Manama: A 17-year-old Syrian student has committed suicide in a classroom, a Syrian daily has reported.

According to Al Tishreen, Abdul Hakeem S., shot himself with a 9 mm gun in the head as he sat alone in an empty classroom during a study period.

Classmates said that the 11th grade student, who had moved to the school 20 days before he killed himself, was fond of a Turkish drama in which one of the main characters "used guns in an exciting way."

The paper said that the tragedy was likely to launch a debate on the measures taken by schools to ensure students' safety.

"Maybe the ministry of education should now start focusing on what our students carry in their bags instead of paying special attention just to mobiles and other insignificant details," the paper wrote.