PETALING JAYA: The Higher Education Ministry has welcomed a proposal by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman that school administrations found to have condoned bullying within their compounds should face stern action.
This follows criticism over delayed action against the administration of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, Sabah, after the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir on July 16, which is suspected to be linked to bullying.
Higher Education Deputy Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said such measures would reflect the government’s commitment to tackling bullying.
“I agree that we need to eradicate bullying cases, which means we must ensure that anyone involved, whether it is school management, students or other parties, faces action. They must be given a clear signal that we are serious about implementing interventions in bullying cases,” he told theSun in Parliament on Wednesday.
He added that a lot of false information had circulated online following the incident, sparking various reactions, including allegations of VIP involvement in a cover-up.
“What’s important is that we want justice to be served in Zara’s case and this will serve as an example for us to carry out interventions in other cases. I hope this becomes a lesson for all parties so that we can handle such cases properly and provide accurate information to the public to avoid all kinds of baseless speculation,” he said.
During the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan, Syed Saddiq also urged action against school administrators whose negligence leads to injury or death of students.
“If parents can face criminal charges for neglect at home that results in injury to their child, the same standard should apply to school authorities. The responsibility carried by parents should also be placed on school administrators so that bullying is taken seriously. In short, all forms of support for bullying must stop,” he said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged the public not to speculate on Zara Qairina’s death and to allow the investigation to take its course.