5,681 school bullying cases reported up to August, says PM

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 5,681 bullying cases were reported in schools in the first eight months of this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the cases involved physical, verbal, non-verbal and cyberbullying, adding that the actual number could be higher as some incidents may have gone unreported.

"Up to August 2026, 5,681 cases were reported. Of course, there could be more that were not reported.

"This includes physical bullying, verbal bullying, non-verbal bullying and cyberbullying," he said during Prime Minister's Question Time (PMQT).

Anwar said greater awareness among the public and parents was needed to curb bullying, particularly as some incidents occurred outside school hours.

He said parents, schools and Parent-Teacher Associations all had a role to play in addressing the problem.

Anwar said that parental participation in some PTAs remained limited despite the importance of cooperation between families and schools.

He was responding to Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota), who asked why cases threatening student safety continued to occur despite the various safety guidelines and procedures introduced by the government.

Saifuddin said incidents involving deaths and injuries among students had become increasingly concerning and called for clearer data on the causes of such cases.

Anwar acknowledged that the problem remained challenging despite measures already undertaken.

He said addressing school safety required the involvement of not only the government and schools, but also parents and the wider community.

He said the government must continue to strengthen efforts to protect students as cases involving deaths, serious injuries, attempted suicide, bullying and abuse remained a concern in several states.

"We have cases occurring one after another in almost every state now — Kelantan, Sabah, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor.

"Those are the cases involving deaths. Cases of serious injuries, attempted suicide, those who were rescued, as well as bullying and abuse in schools are still happening," he said.