Fadhlina: Community, character key to tackling social issues
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said there is an urgent need to overhaul the educational approach to be more comprehensive, encompassing aspects of values, ethics and character development of students, while also emphasising the role of parents and the community in educating children.
She outlined concerns regarding several social statistics that do not show positive changes, particularly related to the persistently high divorce rate, cases of women killed due to domestic violence, and issues of family disharmony involving the elderly and children.
'The home is not safe for women when this happens within the house and women die at the hands of their partners,' she said while speaking at the 'Pesona Inspirasi Keluarga MADANI' programme here today.
Meanwhile, she also emphasised the importance of the Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS) module in addressing issues involving adolescents and children.
'I don't think it is still taboo in society when social crises occur in the community,' she added.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) will use the PEERS module starting from the 2027 school year.
PEERS will be taught through the Health Education curriculum from preschool to secondary school, and students will be equipped with information and skills, particularly psychosocial competencies, to make informed decisions in their daily lives.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Fadhlina welcomes input from all sides in fight against school bullying
KUALA LUMPUR: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek welcomes the views and proposals of all parties to improve safety aspects in tackling bullying at all educational institutions under the Ministry of Education (MoE). She said that she was willing to scrutinise all proposals, including providing psychosocial support and training to teachers and wardens, parent education modules, monitoring at educational institutions and anti-bullying plans, in a bid to address the issue of bullying. "Efforts to tackle bullying and ensure a safe ecosystem at educational institutions are our shared responsibility. "The MoE is implementing several important steps to strengthen safety aspects at educational institutions, including carrying out safety audits, installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and setting up safety reformation committees," she said. She said this in a post on Facebook after receiving a memorandum from the Malaysian Muslim Students Coalition (GAMIS) and the Malaysian People's Advocacy Coalition (HARAM) regarding improvements to safety monitoring and efforts to combat bullying. The MoE recently approved a RM3 million allocation for the installation of CCTVs in selected boarding schools, starting immediately, before expanding it in stages to all boarding schools nationwide.
Daily Express
8 hours ago
- Daily Express
Ensure student safety or resign, groups urge Fadhlina
Published on: Thursday, August 21, 2025 Published on: Thu, Aug 21, 2025 By: Chia Wan Rou, FMT Text Size: A group of nearly 20 people submitted a memorandum to education minister Fadhlina Sidek, urging her to act on their proposals in 30 days or resign. PUTRAJAYA: A group of nearly 20 people staged a protest in front of the education ministry's headquarters here, demanding that minister Fadhlina Sidek take steps to ensure the safety of students within 30 days or resign from her post. The group, led by Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam Se-Malaysia (Gamis) and Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia (Haram), had gathered from 10.30am and submitted a memorandum for Fadhlina to a ministry official. Advertisement Gamis president Azamuddin Sahar claimed that Fadhlina had not taken any immediate, effective measures to tackle the rising number of bullying cases in schools. In their memorandum, the two groups called for a national anti-bullying roadmap with set targets, timeframes and key performance indicators on curbing bullying in schools. They also urged the minister to have a panel of independent observers to look into bullying reports filed by students, with findings to be transparently publicised. The groups also wanted psychosocial support systems to be set up in schools by increasing the number of counsellors and for additional safety measures like CCTVs to be installed in all schools. They also urged Fadhlina to make it mandatory for teachers and dormitory wardens to be trained about 'trauma-informed education', and also for parents to undergo seminars on how their own behaviours can shape their children into becoming bullies. In response, Fadhlina said she would go through the proposals floated by the groups. She also said her ministry was in the midst of carrying out several important efforts to strengthen security in educational institutions, including installing CCTVs, holding safety audits and forming a safety reforms committee. 'I welcome the views and suggestions of all parties to improve the aspect of safety in all education ministry institutions. Combating bullying and ensuring a safety ecosystem in all of these institutions are our shared responsibility,' she said in a Facebook post. There have been a spate of bullying cases in schools, with one of the most prominent involving the death of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir in Sabah. Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had told the Dewan Rakyat earlier this week that the probe into Zara's death had revealed elements of bullying, neglect and sexual harassment. Last week, the education ministry said it would review its SOPs on school safety and handling of disciplinary issues, including bullying. The Aduan Buli online portal would also be revamped to allow anonymous reports to be filed. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Student activists demand action on bullying, give Education Minister 24 hours to respond
PUTRAJAYA: A coalition of student activists staged a protest outside the Education Ministry on Thursday (Aug 21), demanding its minister, Fadhlina Sidek, respond to their memorandum within 24 hours. The demonstration, organised by Malaysian Muslim Students Coalition (Gamis) and People's Advocacy Assembly of Malaysia (Haram), was joined by groups including Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth, Demokrat Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and United Muslim Malaysia. They submitted a memorandum which laid out a series of urgent demands for the ministry to act on within 30 days, with bullying and student safety at the centre of their call. The groups outlined six key demands: the establishment of a stronger psychosocial support system in schools through more counsellors; mandatory trauma-informed training for teachers and wardens with clear anti-bullying protocols; compulsory parental education modules to address toxic home environments; independent and transparent monitoring; the introduction of a National Anti-Bullying Plan and additional measures to safeguard students. Haram president Brendon Gan Vinnten said the six demands within the memorandum must be implemented within 30 days, or they insisted that Fadhlina resign. 'If she cannot commit to addressing the concerns in bullying across schools, then she should step down. 'If the Education Minister fails to provide us with a written or verbal response, we will not hesitate to mobilise more students and the Malaysian people to protest. 'Bullying is not a trivial issue. If you look at the reports, there have been over 11,000 cases in the past three years,' he said, adding that this does not include cases that have not been reported. Gan also pointed to initiatives such as the 'Anti-Bullying' slogan campaign, the reward scheme for 'bully-free schools,' and the RM8.4mil for the purchase of Jalur Gemilang pins. 'None of these address the real root causes of the crisis,' he added. Fadhlina could not attend the handover as she was in Parliament, but ministry officials accepted the memorandum on her behalf. Education Ministry corporate communications unit head Faidz Rashid later confirmed the memorandum had been received. 'We have accepted the memorandum, and will give it due consideration,' the official said. In a Facebook post, Fadhlina said she would review the proposals, including those related to psychosocial support, training for teachers and wardens, parental education modules, monitoring in educational institutions, the development of an anti-bullying plan, and the implementation of safety measures. 'At present, the ministry is carrying out several key initiatives aimed at enhancing safety in educational institutions. 'These include conducting safety audits, installing closed-circuit television (CCTV), and establishing a safety reform committee. 'I welcome the views and suggestions of all parties to improve safety in all institutions,' she said. Zara Qairina died at Hospital Queen Elizabeth on July 17, after being found unconscious in a drain near the school dormitory in Papar on the morning of July 16. Fadhlina was recently called out over the handling of Zara Qairina's death case, as well as revelations in Parliament that RM8.4mil was spent on Jalur Gemilang badges for school uniforms. She also faced criticism after a social media video showed her leading students in chanting birthdat wishes for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on his 78th birthday on Aug 10.
