KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 4,994 bullying cases at schools under the Education Ministry’s purview have been recorded as of October.
Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying informed the Dewan Rakyat today that the number recorded is a slight increase from the data collected in 2022, when 3,887 cases were recorded.
However, she said that a total of 326 bullying cases were recorded throughout the year 2020, when the movement control order was imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
These numbers, she said, were obtained from the ministry’s Sistem Sahsiah Diri Murid.
She also told Ahmad Fakhruddin Fakhrurazi (Kuala Kedah-PN) that the ministry is looking to increase the number of guidance and counselling teachers in schools to curb the issue.
Earlier, she was responding to Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik’s (Balik Pulau-PH) questions about the ministry’s plan to combat bullying in schools, saying that the ministry has launched a programme called Tujuh Teras Nadi Keunggulan KPM.
“Through this programme, the ministry emphasised humanities aspects such as instilling high morals and integrity to encourage students to be emotionally educated, by creating a harmonious atmosphere and discouraging negativity such as sexual harassment or bullying.
“We have also implemented a Safe School Programme at all schools under the ministry’s purview nationwide, where it intends to create a safe school environment so that the teaching and learning process as well as co-curricular activities can be carried out without any negative interference.
“The ministry has also circulated an internal memo urging the headmasters of each school to take proactive action in monitoring students to ensure social issues such as gangsterism can be curbed,” she said.
She further added that the ministry has provided a channel for schools to report bullying cases directly to the MoE.
Currently, she said, the ministry has set up a complaint portal that allows school members, including students as well as their parents or members of the public, to lodge reports on bullying cases.
“There are four channels to lodge such complaints, namely through the public complaints management system, or via email, telephone or Whatsapp messages.” – November 1, 2023