The education ministry will come down hard on any party found to be covering up school bullying cases involving students, says minister Fadhlina Sidek.
She said the ministry would act decisively against any administrator, teacher, state education department, or district education office found concealing bullying cases, Bernama reported.
“We are implementing various intervention programmes, including the ‘Bangkit Bermaruah’ programme and other related initiatives, to strengthen the psychosocial well-being of students through collaboration with guidance and counselling teachers.
“We will not compromise with any form of bullying that occurs at educational institutions,” she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara today.
Last week, Fadhlina said she would give incentives to schools that successfully achieved a “zero-bullying” record.
It was also reported that the ministry would review its SOPs on school safety and for handling disciplinary issues, including bullying, while the Aduan Buli portal would be revamped to allow for the filing of anonymous reports.
Fadhlina today said the ministry took bullying seriously and had implemented various programmes and interventions to ensure that the issue does not continue to spread.
“We want to emphasise that we view bullying as an issue that must be addressed more comprehensively and effectively,” she said.
She was responding to a question from Senator Musoddak Ahmad, who had asked about the ministry’s efforts to address the trend of bullying among school students.
Last week, Malaysiakini reported that the minister was facing calls for her resignation after opposition MPs accused her of failing to address concerns over school bullying during her winding-up speech on the 13th Malaysia Plan.
PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden criticised Fadhlina for not touching on the matter, despite Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul’s offer of extra time.
On Thursday, a group led by Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam Se-Malaysia and Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia staged a protest in front of the education ministry headquarters in Putrajaya, calling for effective measures to address the rising number of bullying cases in schools.
They urged Fadhlina to take steps to ensure the safety of students within 30 days or resign from her post.
