KUALA LUMPUR: The installation of closed-circuit television (CCTVs) in high-risk schools saw the number of bullying cases drop to 2,795 last year, compared to 3,448 cases in 2016, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said the decline in cases was a positive development following the ministry’s efforts to combat bullying in schools.
“Within a very short time, we have managed to reduce the numbers of bullying cases in schools.
“However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and be satisfied with this. There is still a long way to go before we succeed in achieving zero-bullying in schools,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Hasan Arifin (BN-Rompin).
Hasan had asked on the definition of high-risk schools and efforts undertaken by the ministry to curb bullying cases.
Kamalanathan said among the proactive measures undertaken by the ministry to reduce bullying cases in schools - apart from installing CCTVs - include collaborative efforts with various agencies and individuals, as well as collaborations with the police and the Armed Forces, under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOSS).
“Various awareness programmes have also been conducted from time to time to address the issue.
“Teachers too, after identifying problematic students, would go and visit the parents to discuss the matter in order to solve the problem,”
Reports by MOHD ANWAR PATHO ROHMAN, AHMAD SUHAEL ADNAN, NOR AIN MOHAMED RADHI AND SITI NUR MAS ERAH AMRAN