Radzi Assures Firm Action Will Be Taken Against Schools That Hide Bullying Cases
According to the minister, the Ministry of Education will also introduce the 'Sekolahku Sejahtera' concept to cultivate the important values of life among schoolchildren.
By Sadho Ram — 15 Dec 2021, 01:51 PM
Schools under the Ministry of Education (MOE) that attempt to hide bullying cases at their premises will face immediate and firm action, Education Minister Dr Radzi Jidin told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, 14 December
"We are committed to take immediate and stern action against the school management that tries to hide incidents of bullying," he said, adding that the ministry has drawn up a new comprehensive framework to address the problem of bullying in schools, including among hostel students.
According to Radzi, the new framework involves strengthening and improving the existing approach with a focus on four key anti-bullying components.
The four components are awareness, reporting, punishment, and monitoring
The ministry will introduce the 'Sekolahku Sejahtera' (Prosper My School) concept for awareness.
According to the minister, this concept will aim to cultivate the important values of life among schoolchildren directly or indirectly through curricular and co-curricular activities.
As for reporting, a channel will be provided to enable schools to report cases of bullying to the ministry.
"We are developing a reporting system that will allow school members, including students and their parents, to make complaints directly to the ministry. The information received will be protected," Radzi said while replying to Kemaman member of parliament (MP) Che Alias Hamid.
"The system will enable schools to make official reports," he added.
The Kemaman MP, who is from PAS, had asked the minister about the efforts taken by his ministry to address the issue of bullying among students, especially in boarding schools as highlighted by a recent case at Sultan Azlan Shah MARA Junior Science College (MRSM) in Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
"On punishment at the school level, the MOE has issued the Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas (SPI) Bil 8/2010 which touches on the punishment of bullies in schools or in dormitories. As for the monitoring aspect, in schools, it is carried out by the administrators, teachers, and wardens," he added.
Meanwhile, the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) wants more transparency from MOE in the way bullying cases are handled
PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the ministry's reporting system should be in the form of an actual hotline number or via an online platform, with both published widely, reported The Star.
"This direct reporting system is a good move. But the success of this system will only be as good as its outcome. The public should be informed of the action and steps that will be taken to curb such acts. If a complaint is recorded but no action is taken on the bully, then the initiative has failed."
