#SHOWBIZ: Ayda Jebat: 'I had to eat in the toilet because I was so scared'

New Straits Times

02-08-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Singer and actress Ayda Jebat, 33, has shared her harrowing experience of being bullied in a boarding school, revealing she was once so frightened that she ate her meals in a school toilet.
In a social media post, Ayda recounted the events that transpired after she enrolled in a top-performing all-girls school.
"I've been reading a lot about the heartbreaking incident that happened at a school recently, and it makes me want to share my own school experiences," she wrote.
"Initially, I was thrilled to get into what was considered one of the best and 'hottest' girls' schools. All the students who got in had scored A's in their Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) — at least 4 A's. So you can imagine how smart they all were."
However, her excitement soon turned into a nightmare when a senior student, a prefect, began to pay her unwanted attention.
The harassment started with letters left under her desk and escalated to gifts such as figurines and rings.
Ayda said she was then warned by another senior to be wary of the prefect's behaviour.
"From that day on, I started avoiding the prefect, until one day she warned me directly," Ayda wrote.
"She told me to be careful and not to talk to anyone else but her. She would wait in front of my classroom every break time."
This warning left Ayda living in fear, so much so that she would hide in the toilet to eat her lunch.
Unable to cope with the constant fear, Ayda confided in her mother.
Her mother immediately agreed to withdraw her from the school and met with the headmistress to finalise the transfer.
"I kept moving schools after that," Ayda said. "I went to regular schools, but at least I was safe."
She ended her post with a heartfelt message to her younger fans: "Young people, if something happens, no matter how small it seems, please tell your parents immediately. Kids these days are getting bolder."
Ayda's post was also a tribute to Zara Qairina Mahathir, a 13-year-old schoolgirl whose recent death in a school incident has been widely linked to bullying.
Ayda expressed her hopes that justice would be served for Zara.