The announcement by the education minister for “More school councillors to curb bullying” (NST, April 1 ) is timely. Bullying in schools has become a problem in Malaysia and other countries.
It is prevalent in Western countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom, where students even use guns to kill.
Bullies are often created because of bad circumstances in their homes, such as family breakups, quarrels, fighting and physical abuse between parents, financial difficulties, drug addiction or alcoholism, shortage of food and lack of parental control.
They are not taught religious values when growing up.
There are many types of bullying, though most of them are physical, verbal and sexual aggression.
It is most often associated with schoolchildren in primary, secondary, residential schools and hostels.
They usually gang up to extort money, food, stationery, or
even watches from weak, well-to-do children.
It should be borne in mind that bullies are homegrown.
So it is unfair to blame the education system and say that it has created monsters.
Stop making schools and teachers the punching bag for every case of bullying, vandalism, delinquency, truancy, drug addiction or sexual abuse in schools.
The problem is not in the education system, but parents.
Teachers have their hands full with other commitments and assignments, besides teaching 40 students in a class.
My daughter is an English language teacher in a secondary school.
She has books to correct everyday, examination papers to prepare and correct and then to download in computers, attend meetings — with the parent teacher association, school cooperative society and teachers — and supervise co-curriculum activities.
Even on Saturdays and school holidays, she is called in for a meeting or activity, such as organising a dinner party for teachers who are going on retirement or transfer.
It is the education system that is creating stressed, mentally-tired and frustrated teachers.
They have little time left to play mother in schools, much less at home where they have to do household chores and look after, not
only their husbands and children, but most probably their parents, too.
The disciplinary teacher in school has to look out and identify bullies among the 1,000 to 1,200 pupils.
There is nothing much he can do for fear of reprisals.
If he is too strict, he will get his car scratched or tyres punctured.
Teachers have also been threatened with harm, and parents make a hue and cry or lodge a police report against teachers who discipline their children.
Since bullies are created at homes, parents must change the way they parent their children.
They must cooperate with the school, and change their attitude to teachers who discipline their children.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry should create posts of family development councillors to help problematic families, and to save their children from being ill-treated.
While there is public outcry asking the authorities to take disciplinary action or drastic measures, or hold bullies accountable for their actions and to punish parents, we should not vent our anger on young boys and call for them to be caned, jailed or expelled.
Bullies need the support of the community to turn over a new leaf.
Revive the posts of probation officers who can work with the district Juvenile Committee and juvenile courts.
Set up more Sekolah Tunas Harapan (boys home).
This institute is an approved school for the detention and rehabilitation of juveniles involved in stealing, extortion, assault and bullying, juveniles beyond parental control and juveniles who are ill-treated by their parents.
Referrals to Sekolah Tunas Bakti are made under Sections 26 to 33 of the Juvenile Courts Act 1947 and result in court orders placing boys as young as 10 in approved schools for three years or more to undergo rehabilitation and learn social values and norms.
Bullying is a community problem and requires a community solution.
Parents, teachers, administrators, legislators, councillors, psychologists, doctors, probation and welfare officers, police and courts must work together to address the problem.
Set up a foundation such as the Malaysian School Bullies Foundation to oversee the prevention and control of bullies in schools.
Identify bullies and, with the recommendation of probation officers, take them to juvenile courts, which will sentence them to approved schools.
There must be a concerted effort and political will to implement plans if we want to end bullying in schools.
Nor Shahid Mohd Nor,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor