PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry is updating existing regulations to address disciplinary issues in schools.
Its deputy minister Senator Chong Sin Woon said updates would be made to the Education (School Disciplin) Regulations, 1959 under the Educatiom Ordinance1957.
He said the ministry was in the final draft of improving the said regulations by compiling about 50 procedures and circulars related to school discipline.
"For instance, schools are required to activate their disciplinary committees to conduct investigations at school level on disciplinary issues," he said saying the ministry would also consult with the Attorney-General's Chambers on the updates that would be made.
The updated regulations would also make clearer the dos and the don'ts including caning methods, issuance of warnings and making it compulsory for students with disciplinary action to undergo counselling.
Chong said the ministry aimed to enforce the amended regulations by next year.
He said this after chairing a two-hour committee meeting to address discipline issues among students today.
He also said the committee had been briefed on various disciplinary matters including truancy and bully cases.
Schools, he added, had been instructed to conduct immediate investigation on school bully cases that were posted and shared on various social media platforms.
The committee also discuss on drug issues involving school children like having more frequent urine tests and spot checks on high risk groups, mainly those with disciplinary issues.
Chong also said the ministry would get the police to conduct talks in schools on the danger of terrorism especially the Islamic State militant group.