Don’t cover up bullying cases to protect school’s image, says Anwar

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today reminded schools not to hide bullying cases simply to protect their reputation.

He told the Dewan Rakyat that 5,681 cases involving physical bullying, verbal bullying, non-verbal bullying and cyberbullying were reported in schools nationwide between January and August.

However, he said the actual number could be higher as some bullying and disciplinary cases might have gone unreported because administrators wanted to protect their schools’ reputation.

“The problem is that sometimes the perpetrators are protected because they (administrators) do not want the school’s image tarnished,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time.

“They want to protect the school’s reputation and report only the good things, when in reality, children feel victimised and stressed about going to school.

“Do not hide these cases. The victims are suffering and we are not addressing it, which is the wrong approach. Whatever happens, action must be taken swiftly and firmly.”

Anwar stressed the role of parents and families in curbing bullying and abuse, voicing hope that awareness of the issue would continue to grow.

He also called for greater urgency in dealing with bullying and abuse cases, including by tightening regulations and addressing identified weaknesses.

Anwar was responding to a supplementary question from Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota) about his views on Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail’s statement that safety issues at schools should not be concealed to protect reputations.

Khalid said yesterday that concealing safety issues at schools could prevent the authorities from taking necessary action, stressing the need for closer cooperation between schools and police to ensure that all incidents are reported for further investigation.

Khalid was speaking to the media following the murder of a Form 4 student in Yong Peng, Johor, last Saturday.

Irene Sofiya Khairoul Faisal, 16, was found in the school’s hall by her grandmother, who went looking for her after she failed to return home from a tuition class.

Bukit Aman criminal investigation department chief M Kumar said an autopsy confirmed that Irene Sofiya died from blunt trauma to the head.

Three 16-year-old male students were arrested to assist in the murder probe. One of them has been remanded until Friday.

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