Special budget needed to appoint hostel wardens to curb bullying in boarding schools

KUALA LUMPUR: Special allocations should be provided for boarding schools to fund full-time wardens as part of efforts to strengthen student safety and curb bullying, said Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

He said a dedicated budget from the Education Ministry to appoint full-time wardens was important to ensure students could be monitored around the clock, particularly at night when most bullying cases in hostels were reported to occur.

Asyraf, who pioneered the appointment of former military personnel as full-time wardens at Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM), said relying on teachers to supervise students after school hours was no longer sufficient, given their existing workload and limited ability to monitor students until the early hours of the morning.

"In reality, how can teachers find the time to supervise these children 24 hours a day? They would have gone home by midnight at the latest, yet most bullying cases in hostels occur after that," he said.

As part of efforts to eradicate bullying at MRSM, a special online session on child-related laws was held for MRSM teachers on Tuesday night.

The online briefing, titled 'Safe MRSM: Students' Rights, Our Responsibility', was organised through a collaboration between Mara and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), with 3,800 MRSM teachers nationwide taking part.

The session aimed to clarify the responsibilities of MRSM staff in ensuring a safe learning environment free from bullying and child exploitation.

Asyraf said the need for full-time wardens was not intended to question the Education Ministry's capabilities, but reflected the need for a more comprehensive solution to bullying to ensure residential schools remained a preferred option within the national education system.

He said the existing practice of appointing teachers as wardens, with a monthly allowance of RM300, should be reviewed as the additional responsibility added to their existing workload.

"Teachers not only have to teach during school hours, but their duties extend into the night as they supervise students in hostels.

"That is why teachers' rights and welfare must also be protected. We cannot expect teachers to carry out supervisory duties throughout the night without considering their workload," he said.

Introducing a different approach

Asyraf said Mara had introduced a different approach by appointing former military personnel as full-time wardens, who work daily from 7pm to 7am.

He said the initiative could serve as a reference for the Education Ministry in developing more effective monitoring mechanisms at residential schools under its purview.

Asyraf said Mara was prepared to share its experience and research findings on appointing former military personnel as wardens to assess whether the approach could be adopted at residential schools under the Education Ministry.

A pilot project involving the appointment of former military personnel as hostel wardens was previously reported to have been conducted by Universiti Putra Malaysia's (UPM) Institute for Social Science Studies (IPSAS) at Besut MRSM and Balik Pulau MRSM.

The 191-page study found positive responses from students, parents and administrators, alongside improvements in student discipline. No bullying cases were recorded throughout the pilot project.

The first phase involved 16 wardens who reported for duty at eight selected MRSM on July 1. Full implementation across all 58 MRSM is scheduled to begin on Jan 1, 2027.

Asyraf said the success of the approach was not a reason for Mara to be complacent, but should instead serve as a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of appointing full-time wardens in curbing bullying at residential schools.

"We are not being biased simply because Mara has appointed veterans or former military personnel as wardens. That is why we asked UPM to conduct a study on the matter.

"The screening process for wardens is also stringent, including checks to ensure candidates have no criminal records. Many former military personnel are still young and energetic," he said.

He said the presence of full-time wardens not only helped safeguard students but also contributed to better discipline and more structured daily routines.