KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry has reiterated its commitment to strengthening school safety measures and will not compromise on any form of bullying.
Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh said efforts to combat bullying require the cooperation of all parties, as well as full compliance with existing guidelines under the Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas (SPI).
“The ministry will not compromise on any form of bullying in educational institutions. Combating bullying is a long-term effort that requires the commitment of all parties to ensure a safe and conducive school environment,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara yesterday, Bernama reported.
Wong said this in response to a question from Senator Datuk Salehuddin Saidin on the ministry’s measures to enhance school safety and prevent bullying, treating the tragedy involving Zara Qairina Mahathir as a lesson.
He said the SPIs in place include managing bullying, student safety, reporting disciplinary issues and implementing the Safe School Programme, among others.
“This is in line with the ministry’s immediate comprehensive action plan, which includes a safety survey of schools conducted by the Special Committee on Educational Institution Safety Reform, established to address safety and well-being issues for everyone at schools,” he said.
Wong said safety audits were also conducted nationwide, followed by the installation of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) and the strengthening of mental health and psychosocial support programmes.
On efforts to strengthen school capacity, he said 10,096 new teachers were deployed in November, including more than 500 counselling teachers.
“The ministry allocated RM3mil for CCTV installation in 200 school hostels, which was completed by Nov 19, 2025,” he said.
Wong said the installation of CCTVs would expand to another 333 schools with an additional allocation of RM5mil.
He added that starting in 2026, the ministry would also appoint 600 hostel assistant wardens from MySTEP personnel to strengthen surveillance, particularly at night.
He stressed that reforms to the school security system would continue to be implemented to ensure more effective and comprehensive bullying prevention.
Meanwhile, the ministry said the co-teaching initiative under the 2027 School Curriculum would not create a divide between urban and rural schools. The programme would be implemented gradually, based on the readiness of each school, said Wong.
He said this approach allowed school principals the flexibility to decide on the best methods for implementation, considering their schools’ needs, capacity and challenges.
He was responding to Senator Susan Chemerai Anding’s question about the readiness of rural and remote schools compared with urban ones.
Wong acknowledged that some schools face challenges, such as a lack of teachers or facilities.
To address this, the ministry is providing flexibility to ensure the programme is not burdensome or uneven across schools.
Wong also stressed that the co-teaching initiative would not cause performance differences between schools.
Even schools that are still using traditional teaching methods, like a single teacher for new subjects, would not be left behind, he added.
Co-teaching is a pedagogical approach where two teachers work together to plan, implement and assess learning, specifically for new subjects that are transdisciplinary and require hands-on activities and project-based learning.
