KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has sought to downplay her ministry’s top officer’s remark suggesting that bullying and sexual harassment cases in schools were long overlooked.
During questioning in the Dewan Rakyat today by backbencher Howard Lee (Harapan-Ipoh Timor), Fadhlina moved to “clarify” Education director-general Mohd Azam Ahmad’s October 14 statement, according to Malaysiakini.
“When (Azam) said ‘swept under the carpet,’ he didn’t mean that cases were being covered up.
“(Instead), he was stressing that there have been incidents in schools that were known or reported to relevant parties — whether teachers, school administrators, counsellors, or the district or state education officers — but were seen as minor, not serious, or temporary in nature.”
She acknowledged that, because of this perception, past intervention efforts may have been “light or not comprehensive.”
“That is what really worries us — if such cases are not given due attention and we cannot carry out full investigations and interventions, some of them may persist and lead to more serious consequences,” the Nibong Tebal MP reportedly added.
On Tuesday, Mohd Azam urged schools not to conceal cases of bullying and sexual misconduct, stressing that such behaviour should be treated as criminal offences rather than mere disciplinary matters.
“If we hide everything under the carpet, it will seem as though everything is fine, but in reality, we know these problems exist. They are like a thorn in the flesh or an atomic bomb just waiting to explode,” he said, as cited by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
He stressed that all incidents must be reported, criticising attempts to protect a school’s image.
“In the three months I have been director-general, I have gathered much data about these issues. But in another sense, I am glad because everything that was once hidden under the carpet is now coming out,” he said.
Mohd Azam added that daily reporting of bullying or sexual misconduct is necessary to allow the development of strategies, initiatives, and partnerships to address the problem collectively.
The comments follow public outrage over a gang rape involving Form Five students in Alor Gajah, Melaka, last weekend, and the fatal stabbing of a Form Four student in Bandar Utama earlier today.
Fadhlina said the ministry will immediately review current systems and bolster programmes to protect student welfare, with a focus on prevention, early detection, and timely intervention.
