PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry will develop a complaint portal on bullying by next week to improve efforts to curb such cases in schools, Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said.
Parents and teachers can report bullying cases in schools via phone, email or the portal itself, he said, pointing out that these channels will also be able to deal with emergencies and informer's confidentiality.
He said this when asked about the bullying incident at Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) in Kuantan after attending the Education Transformation Showcase, here, today.
Without commenting directly on the issue, Radzi said his ministry was committed to minimising bullying incidents in schools through several holistic measures, including establishing special committees to study existing guidelines and procedures relating to bullying for further improvement.
He also said that the ministry plans to launch the 'Sekolahku Sejahtera, Sepakat dan Selamat' programme, in partnership with the police and Home Ministry to create a safe environment in schools.
The concept currently practised also emphasised elements of students' character so they can make rational decisions and the inculcation of empathy to avoid being involved in bullying, he said.
"We can monitor as much as we want, but if their mind and thinking are clouded, their actions will lead to bullying cases," he added.
During a get-together with students and parents in the Education Transformation Showcase earlier, Radzi shared that his ministry had implemented various transformation in education to create a generation of students capable of competing globally.
He said every ministry decision and policy, including the abolishing of the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) and the Form Three Assessment (PT3), was not done hastily, adding that in general, Malaysians were too focused on examinations and did not prioritised the student's overall development.
The three-day Education Transformation Showcase, which began yesterday at Alamanda shopping mall here, highlighted the innovations and achievements of students and teachers, digital education developments and system applications that simplify education management. - BERNAMA