Fadhlina: Many of Asyraf’s ‘radical’ anti-bullying proposals already in place

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has thanked Umno secretary-general and Mara chairperson Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki for proposing seven “radical” measures to tackle bullying in schools, but said many are already in place.

In a point-by-point response on Threads to Asyraf’s post, Fadhlina said measures including tighter supervision, anonymous reporting, expanded CCTV coverage, and early intervention had already been implemented.

The exchange comes amid renewed scrutiny of school safety following the death of a 14-year-old Form Two student at a school hostel in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, yesterday.

Police have classified the case as murder, while a 16-year-old Form Four student has been remanded for six days to assist investigations. Media reports have cited allegations that bullying may have been involved, but police have yet to publicly establish this as part of the case.

Existing measures already in place

Responding to Asyraf’s call for full-time professional wardens, including former police and military personnel, Fadhlina said schools currently have more than 10,000 hostel wardens, with another 300 hostel warden assistants added since April.

“They help wardens safeguard the safety and welfare of students, particularly through nighttime monitoring so that risks or incidents in hostels can be detected and dealt with earlier,” she said.

On zero tolerance for bullying, Fadhlina said anti-bullying guidelines had been in place since at least 2010 and were strengthened through the 2023 Guidelines on the Management of Bullying Misconduct.

“If a case contains criminal elements, the school cannot take over the role of the police and resolve it solely as a disciplinary matter.

“The case must be reported to the authorities for investigation,” she said.

Fadhlina said the Anti-Bullying Act 2026 and tribunal were intended to give victims a legal avenue beyond school-level guidelines.

“With this Act, the management of bullying no longer depends solely on school guidelines.

“Educational institutions have legal responsibilities, and victims have recourse to the Tribunal if their complaints are not handled appropriately,” she said.

Anonymous reporting, CCTV expanded

On alleged cover-ups, Fadhlina said action should be taken against administrators or teachers found to have been negligent or to have protected a case.

She added that the ministry had introduced anonymous reporting through its Bullying Complaints Portal to protect complainants and witnesses.

“Sometimes, the problem is not that students do not want to speak up. They are afraid of what will happen after they do.

“We must ensure they have a way to speak up and are confident that when they do, someone will take action,” she said.

On bullying “blind spots”, Fadhlina said CCTV coverage in boarding schools had been expanded to 333 schools this year, alongside increased human monitoring and safety input from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

“CCTV is also not a magic solution,” she said.

Early intervention, abusive seniority

She also backed Asyraf’s (below) proposal for an early-warning system, saying schools had long been instructed to identify signs of bullying before cases escalated.

The ministry has since expanded this through monitoring, complaint channels, and Safe, a school-wide anti-bullying intervention programme.

“We do not want to wait until there is a major case before taking action,” she said.

On abusive seniority practices, Fadhlina said there was no justification for “seniors teaching juniors” if it involved assault, threats or humiliation.

“If seniority causes juniors to be afraid to speak up, that is not tradition. That is a culture we must stop,” she said.

Asyraf had proposed seven measures: professional wardens, zero tolerance for bullying, stronger use of the Anti-Bullying Act, punishment for cover-ups, wider CCTV coverage, an early-warning system, and an end to abusive seniority practices.

“We do not merely want to punish bullies.

“We want to break the culture that produces bullies,” Asyraf said.

Separately, PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden urged Fadhlina and the Education Ministry to clarify the implementation of its anti-bullying policy.

Fadhlina has also ordered an immediate audit of the Kuala Pilah school’s safety measures and compliance with procedures.

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