‘Teach students consequences of bullying’
RAWANG: Students need to be taught the consequences of bullying as this is the best way to stop such acts in schools.
Education groups said this yesterday in response to Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan launching the Anti-Bullying Campaign with placement of Bullying Complaint Boxes in secondary schools.
They said it would be more effective if efforts were put into instilling values of respect and tolerance into students.
“Students need to be taught the value of people’s lives in addition to respecting others. They need to know that discrimination or abuse is not tolerated and that they are breaking the law if they do so,” said educationist Datuk Lok Yim Pheng, who is also Human Rights Commission of Malaysia commissioner
Lok said parents and students needed to be educated on their rights as human beings and remember that every child had the right to a good education.
“For the campaign to be effective, children should be made aware of their rights so they are not bullied or themselves bully.”
Sarana Ibu Bapa National Coach Amir Sahudi told the New Straits Times that understanding, awareness and surveillance by school administrators would hold everyone accountable for what happened within and outside school compounds.
“The community needs to get involved as well as the school’s PTA (Parent-Teacher Association).
“Enforcement is important as we do not want to end up with a pile of complaints but no action taken,” said the SK Setiawangsa PTA president.
Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said students and parents were concerned or even fearful that their complaints would not only be left unattended, but there would be prejudice against the bullied student.
She said there needed to be independence in the administration of the complaints box.
Kamalanathan said the Bullying Complaint Box would be placed in every school starting with its pilot project in secondary schools in Hulu Selangor.
The National Anti-bully Campaign 2017 is an initiative by Putera MIC in cooperation with the Education Ministry, Selangor Education Department, Hulu Selangor Education Office and police.
It aims to educate and create public awareness about the harms that comes from bullying.
The latest case of bullying involved a secondary school student being beaten up by girls at a field in Kunak, Sabah.
The district Education Office said it would investigate into the case, which surfaced via social media last week.