THE Education Ministry will prepare a bully complaints portal by next week to enhance efforts to curb bullying in schools, Senior Education Minister Radzi Jidin said.

Parents and teachers can lodge reports of bullying in school through the phone, email or the portal itself, he said, adding that these methods could deal with emergencies and the informer’s confidentiality.

Radzi said this when asked to comment on the bullying incident in the Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) in Kuantan after attending the Education Transformation Showcase in Putrajaya today.

Without commenting directly on the problem, Radzi said his ministry is committed to minimising bullying incidents in school through several holistic measures, including establishing special committees to study guidelines and procedures relating to bullying in school for improvement purposes.

He said the ministry will launch the Sekolahku Sejahtera, Sepakat dan Selamat programme with the partnership of the police and the Home Ministry to create a safe environment in schools.

The concept currently practised also emphasises 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 souls and thinking are clouded, their actions will lead to bullying cases,” he said.

During a get-together with students and parents in the Education Transformation Showcase earlier, Radzi said his ministry had implemented various transformations in education to create a generation of students capable of competing globally.

He said every ministry decision and policy, including the abolition of the primary school achievement test (UPSR) and the Form Three assessment (PT3), was not done hastily, adding that in general, Malaysians are too focused on examinations and do not prioritise the student’s overall development. 

The three-day Education Transformation Showcase, which began yesterday at Alamanda shopping mall, highlights the innovations and achievements of students and teachers, digital education developments and system applications that simplify education management. – Bernama, August 13, 2022.