School bullying cases slowly declining — Education Dept
KUCHING: Bullying is still rampant in schools in Sarawak although the number of cases continues to show a decline as of August this year.
According to Sarawak Education deputy director Abang Mat Ali Abang Masagus, as of August this year, only one bullying case was recorded in a primary school while 13 cases occurred in secondary schools in the state.
However, he said, the number of bullying cases recorded under the Education Ministry’s Student’s Disciplinary System (Sistem Salsiah Disiplin Murid -SSDM) may differ from the number of cases recorded by the police.
“In 2016, Sarawak recorded 50 cases of bullying in primary schools and 60 cases in secondary schools. The number of cases dropped to 47 occurrences in primary schools and 42 in secondary schools in 2017. As of August this year, the number of bullying cases continues to decline, one case in a primary and 13 cases in secondary schools,” he said during the launching ceremony of Sarawak Teachers’ Union Women’s Seminar (STU) and Anti-Bullying Campaign at a local hotel here yesterday.
Commenting on the campaign, Abang Mat said it was an important programme to raise awareness on bullying which is worrisome in schools.
“Although bullying cases continue to show a decline, our target is to completely eradicate it. This is because we want to make sure the school is a safe place for students,” he said.
In this regard, Abang Mat expects the lessons learned from the seminars and campaigns related to school bullying will be shared around.
He also hoped that the antibullying campaigns organised by various agencies will help reduce bullying in schools and make schools safe for students.
Also present at the event was STU president Jisin Niyud.