KUALA LUMPUR: Establish legislation on anti-bullying to tackle bullying effectively, says a government backbencher.
Datuk Siti Aminah Aching (BN-Beaufort) stated that this was crucial in eradicating thug culture in schools.
According to her, the number of bullying cases increased from 3,887 in 2022 to 4994 in 2023 and 6,208 cases last year.
Acknowledging that there are existing Education Ministry guidelines to address this, she, however, said it was high time for dedicated legislation.
“We need to control and eradicate bullying which has been spread in our education system,” she said when debating the Education (Amendment) Bill 2025 on Wednesday (July 30).
This comes as lawmakers called for action over the recent death of a Form One female student at a dormitory building in a religious school in Papar, Sabah.
During debates, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota) also asked for clarity on what caused the girl’s death.
“Were there criminal elements? If it was an accident, what possible factors contributed to this?” he said.
The victim had died a day after she allegedly fell from the third floor of her school's dormitory building on July 16.
Her death had sparked various allegations, including that she was a victim of bullying at the school.
