CCTV cameras installed at 333 boarding schools this year

 Education minister Fadhlina Sidek says the bullying complaint system has also been enhanced with an anonymous reporting function.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said character education will be introduced in the 2027 school curriculum, emphasising values including integrity and empathy.

KUALA LUMPUR:

The education ministry is expanding the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to 333 boarding schools this year, with an additional allocation of RM5 million, to strengthen student monitoring and safety in an effort to tackle bullying.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said 300 MySTEP warden assistants were also deployed from April to help monitor students at hostels, particularly at night.

“I understand the anxiety parents feel whenever a bullying incident occurs. I am a mother, too. My own child studied and lived in a hostel within the same education system.

“There are measures we initiated several years ago. There are also measures we added upon realising there was still room for improvement,” she said in a Facebook post on the ministry’s steps to address the issue of bullying in schools.

She said the ministry’s bullying complaint system has been enhanced with an anonymous reporting function via the MOE Bullying Complaint Portal to protect the identities of complainants and witnesses.

Prevention and early intervention efforts have also been strengthened through the S.A.F.E. Framework, which encompasses prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation approaches, including the use of peer support groups and focused counselling.

Fadhlina said character education would be introduced in the 2027 school curriculum, emphasising values including integrity and empathy.

She also said the ministry is collaborating with the legal affairs division of the Prime Minister’s Department to draft the Anti-Bullying Act 2026, which includes provisions for establishing an anti-bullying tribunal as a channel for victims to seek redress.

“The education ministry also introduced guidelines on managing bullying misconduct in 2023 to serve as an official reference for schools in receiving complaints, conducting investigations, taking disciplinary action and implementing interventions,” she said.

However, she said the ministry could not be complacent about the measures in place, but must constantly evaluate and address shortcomings as long as there are students who do not feel safe at school.

“As long as there is a child who does not feel safe at school, our work is not yet done,” she said. - FMT