School gang leader to be suspended if found guilty of bullying

SUNGAI PETANI: A school gang leader will be suspended from school for six months if found guilty of bullying, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

He said the punishment would be imposed after it was decided yesterday that the state education department, district education office and school’s management could handle bullying cases happening in schools.

“After a disciplinary committee has conducted its investigation and if there are evidence of wrongdoings, the gang leader will face a six-month suspension while his accomplices will be suspended for two months,” he said yesterday.

He said this to reporters after a “Dialogue with Minister of Education” session at Aimst University here, which was attended by about 1,700 teachers from all over Kedah.

Mahdzir was commenting on a report about bullying case victim, a Form 1 student of a school in the capital city who sustained head injury after he was bullied by two senior students.

He said during the suspension period, the offender would undergo rehabilitation such as at the Henry Gurney School for a few weeks at the discretion of the disciplinary committee.

However, he said, the disciplinary committee should be fair and must conduct a thorough investigation before making any decision.

“They are only responsible for cases involving bullying incidents in schools. For criminal cases, we will leave them to the police to investigate,” he said.