KUALA LUMPUR: Bullying cases have emerged as the hot topic of late due to incidents resulting in the deaths of students, from secondary schools right up to universities.
On Tuesday, the Education Ministry disclosed that bullying cases in schools have continued to rise, with 7,681 incidents throughout last year, up from the 6,528 cases in 2023.
In a written reply to Klang MP Ganabatirau Veraman, the ministry said the data was obtained from its student self-discipline system which tracks student discipline across all government schools.
Of all the cases reported last year, 1,992 involved primary schools while 5,689 occurred in secondary schools.
Ganabatirau had also asked the ministry to explain measures taken to prevent the issue from spreading and becoming a harmful culture.
One recent case is the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, who was a victim of alleged bullying.
The case was first reported on July 16 when she was found unconscious in a drain near a school hostel in Papar, Sabah, at about 3am.
The case continues to draw national attention as a coroner’s inquest is scheduled to begin on Sept 3. Five teenagers have been charged with verbally abusing the victim.
The ministry claimed that it has adopted a strict no-compromise stance on bullying in schools, adding that continuous efforts are required to eliminate such misconduct.
It noted that mechanisms have long been in place, such as the safe school programme, implemented in 2002, which sought to create a secure school environment free from internal or external disruptions.
This was later strengthened by the standard operating procedure, introduced in 2011, which requires immediate reporting of disciplinary offences to the ministry’s top management to ensure swift action.
The ministry has also issued comprehensive guidelines on the management of bullying in schools, setting out definitions, procedures and consequences for perpetrators and victims.
It also said legal awareness programmes have been introduced to educate school leaders about their responsibilities under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792) and that the Prime Minister’s Department’s legal affairs division is studying an anti-bullying law to be presented to the Cabinet soon.