PIX: Mohd Azren Jamaludin
JOHOR BARU: The review of guidelines for disciplinary action against students in the country is in its final stages and will be announced soon after completion.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P Kamalanathan said the review will include improvements on existing guidelines, as well as additions that will reflect current attitudes and sensitivities.
"For example, the new guidelines will also deal with the issue of cyber bullying, which was not addressed previously.
"Most importantly, the new guidelines will protect both students and teachers.
“It will be announced by Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid once it is completed," he said.
Kamalanathan was speaking to the media after visiting SRJKT Gelang Patah in conjunction with the start of the new school session. Also present were deputy director-general of education Aminuddin Adam, and Johor Education director Shaharudin Sharif.
On another matter, Kamalanathan said the ministry will take into account the opinions of various stakeholders on the issue of grouping students according to their academic performance.
"We are open to suggestions and opinions on this matter. The ministry will not make any decision without getting feedback from interested parties," he added.
Last month, the director-general of education Datuk Dr Amin Senin announced that the ministry is pushing for the practice of separating students according to their academic performance to be stopped by 2019.
Amin said the system does not conform to the country’s education policy, but is practiced by schools simply to improve their school grade averages (GPS), which form part of their key performance index (KPI).