EDUCATION groups have welcomed the launch of an anti-bullying platform but said more needs to be done to curb the problem in school.

They said while the platform allows schools to keep track of bullying cases, there needs to be affirmative action taken against the perpetrators.

The underlying issue that leads to bullying must also be identified, they said.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) president Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said Aduan Buli was long overdue.

“In the past, the school administration would brush off the complaint or have the bully transferred to another school.

“The question now is, what action will be taken to rehabilitate rather than punish the bully?”

Azizah said the main problem regarding bullying is whether the schools choose to act.

“How can Aduan Buli ensure that every single case is attended to and appropriate rehabilitation is taken?,” she asked.

“While we welcome this initiative, there is much more to be done than merely taking note. How will it be different from before? Will this eliminate bullying?”

An independent body will be much more ideal to deal with bullying in school, Azizah said.

The Education Ministry (MOE) has received 19 complaints on the Aduan Buli portal since it was launched on August 18.

Education Minister Radzi Jidin said the bulk of the cases were filed on the Public Complaint Management System (Sispa) and several on WhatsApp at 014-800 9325.

The Aduan Buli portal allows bullying incidents to be reported directly to the MOE.

Apart from Whatsapp, tt provides two other channels for complaints: a hotline at 03-8884 9352 and email at [email protected].

More than 800 bullying cases were reported between 2018 and July.

National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Wang Heng Suan said schools have a standard operating procedure to deal with bullying.

Wang said the school should open a probe upon receiving a report of bullying.

By the end of the week, the school should have completed the investigation and sent a report to the state education department, Wang said.

Wang said the usual way to deal with bullying has always been to ask the students’ parents to go to the school to discuss a resolution.

He said bullying has almost become a trend in schools, especially when students record and share the incidents on social media.

Counselling

Psychologist Tan Chee Seng said the Aduan Buli portal fails to cater to special needs children, who are unable to communicate when something is wrong.

“Children with autism, for example could be subject to bullying by their classmates. This is a traumatic experience that will require counselling.”

“Not all children are like Ain Husniza, who can clearly state what makes them uncomfortable,” he said, referring  to Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam and her father ,who had accused a former teacher of making lewd jokes in class, sexual harassment and criminal misconduct.

Tan, who is the founder of Dawning Spiritual Growth Centre, said that being bullied will have an impact on the child’s growth.

“It may not be apparent immediately, but they will always be afraid of being bullied again.

“This is why protection from the school, parents and friends is important.

When children tell their parents something that makes them uncomfortable, it should not be dismissed, Tan said.

“Parents may think that quarrels between children are nothing but it could be something more serious.

“If the situation worsens, the child could lose confidence, start performing badly in school and in extreme cases, take their own life.

“Parents should speak to their children and address things that bother them and not dismiss them.” – August 27, 2022.