Bullying is not a rite of passage, say educators
Recent cases, such as that of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir, have sparked concerns that school authorities tend to turn a blind eye to bullying and believe it's all part of peer play.
Zara Qairina fell to her death from her hostel building at SMA Tun Datu Mustafa in Papar, Sabah, on July 16 and police have just completed the probe into her case for alleged bullying.
While Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying in its junior science colleges (MRSM), counselling teachers from secondary schools said that there are already standard operating procedures set by the Education Ministry to deal with bullying.
'At Mara, we have zero-tolerance for bullying. My tagline is: 'You Touch, You Go',' said Mara chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
Mara has a pilot project to hire retired army and police personnel as full-time wardens in selected MRSMs, starting with MRSM Besut and Balik Pulau on Aug 15, to help ease the burden of teachers in hostels, he added.
Mara is also reinforcing its value-based education through a framework that shapes how students live, lead and interact.
Every student also gets regular check-ins with teachers and counsellors and all cases must be investigated urgently and transparently, Asyraf said.
'Communities must reject the notion that bullying is a 'rite of passage'. If a child is afraid to sleep in a dormitory, then we have failed. Not just as educators, but as a society,' Asyraf added.
Dyana, a secondary school counselling teacher in a northern state, said that there are five actions that need to be taken within 24 hours of a bullying case.
'We first contact the parents or guardians of the students involved – both the perpetrator and the victim,' said Dyana, who has been a teacher for 22 years.
The students involved are then sent to a government clinic or hospital for examination to assess if they have sustained any physical injuries or emotional distress.
'We must then record the bullying misconduct in the Student Discipline Management System (SSDM),' she said before an initial report is made in accordance with an Education Ministry circular on student discipline Issues.
The initial report is sent to the district education office, the state education department and the Education Ministry, said Dyana, a pseudonym as teachers are not allowed to speak to the media.
If the victim's parents neglect the child's condition, the Child Act 2001 empowers the principal to report the matter to the Social Welfare Department for further action, she said.
Another teacher in Selangor said that the characteristics of a bully include the desire to dominate and control others, and lack of empathy.
'Sometimes it is a way to cope with their own emotional or mental distress,' said the teacher, Rajini (not her real name), who has served in a secondary school for the past decade.
'Family and environmental issues can also turn someone into a bully. They usually have poor social skills, lack social interaction and are usually short-tempered and rule-breakers.'
Bully victims often also have family issues, forcing them to humiliate themselves in order to be accepted by their peers.
'Pressure to be accepted by their peers may also cause someone to either become a bully or a victim, for fear of being isolated or ostracised,' she added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Stop the speculation on Zara Qairina case, lawyers urge
KOTA KINABALU: Lawyers acting on behalf of deceased student Zara Qairina Mahathir's mother are asking for speculation on the case to stop. Counsels Hamid Ismail and Shahlan Jufri said in a joint statement that rather than sharing unverified information through videos, 'narrations' and other online content, it was better to provide the police with credible information. 'First of all, we want to address a video circulating online where a woman was narrating how Zara was put into a washing machine. This is a speculation,' said Hamid. 'Our client, who is Zara's mother, never shared such information with anyone. We want the woman to provide that information to the police to investigate,' he said. Hamid said a so-called chronology of when Zara was brought to the hospital (8am on July 16) after her alleged fall from the third floor of a hostel building was also speculative. 'That chronology-like information did not come from our client,' he stressed. Secondly, circulation of pictures of students who allegedly had links to Zara's deaths, with negative statements on them, is a crime under the Children's Act 2001 and the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, he warned. Hamid said the spreading of names, photos and personal details of students was also an offence under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 and MCMC Act 1998. 'Therefore, we urge that the spread of this information and videos be stopped immediately. 'Those who have circulated or shared such information online, we urge that you take it down immediately,' he said. Hamid said speculations would only make things worse and add more stress to the family affected. He said anyone with information pertaining to Zara's death and case is advised to provide them to the police to facilitate investigations. Zara, a Form One student, had died after she was believed to have fallen off her hostel in SMA Tun Datu Mustafa in Papar, on July 16.
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Sibu police open child neglect probe after two-year-old dies in sewer fall
SIBU, Aug 6 — Police have opened two investigation papers (IPs) into the death of a two-year-old boy who fell into a sewer near Jalan Wong Soon Kai here two days ago (Monday). Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, in a statement, said one of the investigations is being conducted under Section 3(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglecting or exposing a child to a condition likely to cause physical or emotional harm. He said an IP was also opened under the classification of a sudden death case (SDR). According to him, a report on the boy's death was lodged by a medical officer at Sibu Hospital at 11.09pm on August 4. 'The boy was found by a fire and rescue team in a sewer and sent to the hospital. 'Upon arrival at the hospital, the victim was wet, pale and showed no signs of life, before being confirmed dead at the Sibu Hospital Emergency Unit,' he said. According to earlier reports, the boy was found in the sewer after he was believed to have fallen through a manhole at Jalan Pedada. The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) received an emergency call regarding the incident at 6.29pm, and upon arriving at the location, the rescue team was informed by the victim's father that his son was missing and believed to have fallen into the sewer system. It was said that the child often accompanied his father to collect used boxes in the commercial area. During the incident, the boy was believed to have gotten out of the car to look for his father before falling into the uncovered manhole. Members of the public with information on the incident are requested to contact the investigating officer, ASP Mohd Adzmei Ahmad, at 019-7192529 or any police station. — Bernama
Sinar Daily
3 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Police probe death of boy found in sewer in Sibu
One of the investigations is being conducted under Section 3(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglecting or exposing a child to a condition likely to cause physical or emotional harm. 06 Aug 2025 10:36am Police have opened two investigation papers into the death of a two-year-old boy who fell into a sewer near Jalan Wong Soon Kai here two days ago (Monday). SIBU - Police have opened two investigation papers (IPs) into the death of a two-year-old boy who fell into a sewer near Jalan Wong Soon Kai here two days ago (Monday). Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, in a statement, said one of the investigations is being conducted under Section 3(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglecting or exposing a child to a condition likely to cause physical or emotional harm. He said an IP was also opened under the classification of a sudden death case (SDR). According to him, a report on the boy's death was lodged by a medical officer at Sibu Hospital at 11.09pm on Aug 4. "The boy was found by a fire and rescue team in a sewer and sent to the hospital. age system near the location of the incident before being taken to Sibu Hospital for further action. "Upon arrival at the hospital, the victim was wet, pale and showed no signs of life, before being confirmed dead at the Sibu Hospital Emergency Unit," he said. According to earlier reports, the boy was found in the sewer after he was believed to have fallen through a manhole at Jalan Pedada. The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) received an emergency call regarding the incident at 6.29pm, and upon arriving at the location, the rescue team was informed by the victim's father that his son was missing and believed to have fallen into the sewer system. It was said that the child often accompanied his father to collect used boxes in the commercial area. During the incident, the boy was believed to have gotten out of the car to look for his father before falling into the uncovered manhole. Members of the public with information on the incident are requested to contact the Investigating officer, ASP Mohd Adzmei Ahmad, at 019-7192529 or any police station. - BERNAMA More Like This
