Don’t expel school bullies, says deputy minister
KUALA TERENGGANU: School bullies should not be expelled from schools as they can be rehabilitated, Deputy Education Minister II Senator Datuk Chong Sin Woon said.
He said teachers should counsel and rehabilitate such students.
He said expelling these students would worsen their behaviour as they would feel shunned by society and be deprived of an education.
“There is a good chance of them recovering from bad behaviour at an early age through counselling, so that they can be better people.
“We need to remember that these students are our future leaders,” he said at the National Counselling Psychology Symposium 2017 here.
Chong said every teacher should act as a disciplinarian in advising affected students.
“All teachers should take this responsibility and not rely on disciplinary teachers to carry out the task.
“Doing so will allow teachers to keep an eye on their students’ activities and behaviour.
“They can report suspicious cases to the authorities,” he said.
On bullying cases which had become viral, he said: “Bullying cases are less than 0.03 per cent in the country.”
Asked if some schools were hushing up indiscipline to keep a clean slate, Chong said in the era of information and communications technology, it was near impossible to do so.
“Furthermore, there are parent-teacher associations, police liaison officers and other means of making public such cases, if there is inaction by certain quarters,” he said.
He said students were increasingly exposed to smartphone applications and the threats were not only physical, but also mental.
To address the issue, he said the ministry would place more professional counselling teachers in schools.
Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said sharing a cordial relationship with students would instil a sense of belonging and accountability into the latter.
“Students will feel more secure and be open to advice from teachers.
“I have experienced this during my teaching years before entering politics.
“I coaxed problematic students who played truant to return by engaging them through methods like giving them opportunities to take part in sports and extracurricular activities.”
Many of them, who were not inclined towards studies, would excel in outdoor activities and proved to be model students, he added.