Malaysia must invest in preventing bullying in schools

Photo posed by models/The Star

THE tragic death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, possibly linked to bullying, has ignited a nationwide dialogue on bullying in schools and spurred the government to seriously consider the problem. We hope this will not be limited to a “media cycle” but will bring concerted change that will reduce the huge problem of bullying in Malaysian schools and institutions of higher education.

We are concerned that current measures by the government are predominantly punitive. While an Anti-Bullying Act with a tribunal may be useful, it will not be effective in dealing with this endemic problem.