Latest news with #Education(StudentDiscipline)Regulations
Rakyat Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Rakyat Post
Teachers May Face Jail Time If Caught Smoking Or Vaping In School
Subscribe to our FREE Teachers who smoke or vape may soon have to be more conscious about their habit, especially when they are on school premises. Ministry of Education (MoE) minister Fadhlina Sidek recently said that teachers who are caught vaping or smoking on school premises may face a fine of RM10,000 or jailed up to two years in the near future. In a Nurul Amin had asked the (education) ministry to state the measures taken to curb the culture of vaping among school students, alleging that some teachers were openly vaping. MoE is working to impose a ban on all forms of smoking and vaping Fadhlina said her ministry was also in the process of amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to include a ban on smoking, which covers all forms of cigarettes, devices, electronic tools and liquids related to vape. 'This new amendment is in line with the enforcement of the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024, which was gazetted by the Health Ministry on 1 October, 2024. This prohibition includes the sale of vape products to those under the age of 18 and enforcement actions against premises selling vape within 40 meters of a school boundaru or fence,' she said. The government has been considering a nationwide ban on vape Researchers say vaping is less harmful than smoking, but is still In late July, news outlets reported a government proposal to impose a nationwide ban on the use and sale of e-cigarettes or vapes. In an At time of press, several states across Malaysia have banned the sale of e-cigarettes. The states include: Johor, Terengganu, Kelantan, and Perlis. Kedah has not issued an outright ban on e-cigarette sales yet, but it has decided to stop renewing business licences for vape retailers as their licences expire. Free Malaysia Today reported earlier that Kedah vape traders were told to Meanwhile, the Penang state government is open to banning vape sales and is actively monitoring the implementation of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, according to a Bernama The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) is a legislative law enacted to regulate the sale, advertising, and promotion of all smoking products, including e-cigarettes and vapes. It Statistics on smokers in Malaysia (2022) A report by anti-smoking foundation Global Action to End Smoking stated that in 2022, an estimated 6 million people In 2017, nearly 14 percent of youths in Malaysia aged 13 to 17 were current cigarette smokers. Statistics show that younger male Malaysians are more likely to smoke compared to femaes. Tobacco products cannot be sold to individuals younger than 18 years of age in Malaysia. Individual violaters would face a fine of up to RM20,000, a prison sentence of up to one year, or both. Subsequent offenses can lead to a fine of up to RM30,000, a prison sentence of up to two years, or both. For corporate bodies the penalties are even steeper, with fines potentially ranging from RM20,000 to RM100,000 for the first offence and imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Repeat offences for corporations can result in fines between RM50,000 and RM300,00 and imprisonment of up to three years, or both. These penalties are outlined in Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Vaping teachers to face jail
TEACHERS caught vaping or smoking within school premises may soon face punitive action, including being fined up to RM10,000 or jailed for up to two years, says Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek (pic). She said her ministry would not tolerate teachers using vapes, especially openly or in front of students, as this violated the Malaysian Teacher Standards, which emphasise the role of teachers as models of good character. 'Teachers found vaping or smoking within school premises may be fined up to RM10,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, in accordance with the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024,' she said in a written reply to Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap). Nurul Amin had asked the ministry to state the measures taken to curb the culture of vaping among school students, alleging that some teachers were openly vaping. Fadhlina said her ministry was also in the process of amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to include a ban on smoking, which covers all forms of cigarettes, devices, electronic tools and liquids related to vape. 'This new amendment is in line with the enforcement of the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024, which was gazetted by the Health Ministry on Oct 1, 2024. 'This prohibition includes the sale of vape products to those under the age of 18 and enforcement actions against premises selling vape within 40m of a school boundary or fence,' she said. In another written reply, Fadhlina said the proposal for a single university entrance exam for STPM, matriculation and foundation students applying to public universities required careful consideration. This is because the proposal involves multiple ministries, differing academic structures and varied assessment methods. 'Any changes must undergo in-depth study and comprehensive evaluation to remain aligned with the Education Ministry's commitment to providing fair and quality access to education for all students, regardless of their background,' she told Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan). Lim had asked whether a single common public examination could be implemented for all STPM, matriculation and foundation programmes when applying for places in public institutions of higher learning (IPTA), instead of the current practice of having three different examinations, in order to establish a more accurate and consistent basis for performance comparison aligned with excellence standards. Fadhlina said the implementation of the admission system to IPTA was an important aspect in assessing students' potential holistically, taking into account a balance between academic excellence and holistic development. 'Various educational pathways such as STPM, STAM, Foundation programmes and Matriculation programmes have been established to provide broader options for SPM leavers, in line with their individual inclinations and potential. 'Therefore the assessment approaches used also differ, in accordance with the objectives and direction of the respective programmes,' she said.
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Teachers caught smoking, vaping on school premises to face legal action, says Fadhlina
KUALA LUMPUR: Teachers caught vaping or smoking within school premises may soon face legal action, including fines of up to RM10,000 or imprisonment for up to two years, says Fadhlina Sidek. The Education Minister said her ministry will not tolerate teachers using vape, especially openly or in front of students, as this violates the Malaysian Teacher Standards (SGM), which emphasises the role of teachers as models of good character. "Teachers found vaping or smoking within school premises may face legal action such as fines up to RM10,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, in accordance with the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024," she said in a parliamentary written reply to a question raised by Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap). Nurul Amin had asked the Education Ministry to state the measures taken by the Ministry to curb the culture of vaping among school students, especially given allegations that some teachers openly use vape devices, setting a negative example for pupils and undermining the credibility of educational institutions. Fadhlina said the Education Ministry was also in the process of amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to include in the sub-regulations a ban on smoking, which covers all forms of cigarettes, devices, electronic tools, and liquids related to vape. "This new amendment is in line with the enforcement of the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024, which was gazetted by the Health Ministry on Oct 1, 2024. "This prohibition includes the sale of vape products to individuals under the age of 18 and enforcement actions against premises selling vape within 40m of a school boundary or fence," she said.
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Stronger measures being taken to deal with digital misconduct among students, Fadhlina tells Parliament
KUALA LUMPUR: Stronger measures are being taken to deal with the issue of digital misconduct among school students, particularly incidents involving the circulation of explicit images following a case in Johor, says Fadhlina Sidek To address this, the Education Minister said her ministry is currently amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to ensure school disciplinary rules remain effective and relevant. "The amendments aim to strengthen enforcement and provide clearer guidance for managing student misconduct," said Fadhlina in reply to a question from Muhammad Islahuddin Abas (PN-Mersing). Muhammad Islahuddin had asked the Education Ministry to provide detailed guidelines for handling digital misconduct among students following the incident involving the circulation of explicit images at a school in Johor A 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly using artificial intelligence (AI) to create pornographic images of his schoolmates and school alumni. Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar said the cops had received eight reports against the teenager, who was arrested at 5pm on April 8 in Kulai. Johor police also seized a phone believed to have been used to edit and upload lewd photos of his victims on social media, which were then sold at RM2 each. In 2025, schools were issued a reminder to comply with all active circulars and guidelines, with emphasis on discipline-related issues, added Fadhlina. Among them is on the guidelines on Values and Ethics for Social Media Use, focusing on issues such as misuse of apps, immoral content sharing, unauthorised recordings, cyberbullying, and privacy violations. To encourage reporting of bullying, especially cyberbullying, the Education Ministry has established four main complaint channels, including public complaints management system (Sispaa), email, telephone hotline and via Whatsapp. "Schools are also required to record cyberbullying cases in the ministry's character tracking system," she said. The ministry, added Fadhline, also collaborates with the police through the placement of school liaison officers (PPS) to carry out awareness and prevention programmes on digital misconduct, including cyberbullying and online scams. "The Ministry remains committed to ensuring students' online safety is on par with their physical safety in school, in line with the Safe School Programme and values-based character education," she added.
