School bullies may get a 'black mark'
Published on: Sunday, October 23, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: Students may have a "black mark" in their school-leaving certificate if they are suspended for bullying.Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said his ministry was serious in addressing the problem and those involved must face the consequences of their actions.Mahdzir said a national-level committee had been tasked to work on the mechanics of the implementation of the system in January.
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He said, the committee would decide if the student's suspension be reflected in their school leaving certificate."We are not out to punish, but to find a solution to the problem — mainly to stop it from occurring," he said.Mahdzir was elaborating on his statement that the ministry was mulling suspension as a punishment with the bullies getting up to a year in community service or time in a rehabilitation centre."This will come into effect in the coming school-term in January, with the emphasis more on secondary schools as there are more bullying cases reported there," he said.
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Mahadzir said all schools would set up their own board to evaluate cases of bullying in their schools."The board will consist a mix of those from the academic sector, parent's teachers association as well as other relevant stake holders," he said.
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The board will conduct hearings and come up with a decision — on the duration of the suspension if the board finds the student guilty.The board will then have to submit their findings and decision to the district education department for its endorsement."But the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the board hearings will be drawn up by the ministry and this will have to be followed ," he said."This is the way to decentralise the operation and not leave it to one person or the ministry to make a decision," he said.On the year-long suspension, Mahdzir said: "It means if a student has been found guilty and is sentenced to one-year suspension, his suspension will be till the end of the school year only or to the end of the school term."Mahdzir said the national committee was also looking at other options besides suspension, and one of the suggestions was for the parent of the student to come to school every day with the student for a certain period of time to monitor the student.Meanwhile, the proposal has been criticised as unwise.Principal consultant child psychologist Dr Edward Chan said school children did not have the same foresight as adults and might not have the ability to look into the long-term consequences of their bad behaviour. "It requires a lot of forethought and maturity for them to perceive this as a deterrent and if they are bullies, they probably don't have a high level of maturity," he said. "It may be a deterrent if the parents are involved in applying additional pressure. But we would also need to consider the sort of relationship they have with parents and family members at home." Dr Chan, who recommends rehabilitation, said the plan to impose a "black mark" on the student's records required proper assessment. He said the government should be cautious before implementing this and ensure others steps, such as counselling, had been done before. "We understand the ministry wants to create change and address the issue, but we also need to look at what is causing the bullying, such as the situation at home and whether the bullies themselves were being bullied by parents or family members at home," he said. "With a proper approach, people can change especially at a young age. Such a permanent record can affect the way they perceive themselves and impact their self-esteem, which may have a negative long-term effect" Malacca Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Malt Ghee Kin also disagreed with the proposal. He said children should be given the opportunity to turnover a new leaf and their suspension should not be recorded in their certificate as it would affect their future and could lead to more problems. "The whole idea of suspension is to deter the wrongdoers or others from repeating such actions. "I am positive that with the one-year suspension alone, parents will be more concerned and will spend more time to educate their children to respect others," he said. However, National Parent-Teacher Association chairman Prof Datuk Mohamad All Hasan welcomed the suggestion as he said bad behaviour should be recorded just as good behaviour. He said whatever the bullies received would be deemed as a lesson for others. "Bullies are mischievous and unfriendly and try to be gangsters in school... I suppose they deserve it just like any other criminal," he said. "It has to be this way to make them aware and to be remorseful so that they will not repeat their actions." Mohamad Ali, however, said there was a need to shorten the suspension period. "Three to six months is acceptable, but one year is too long because they may forget school and may not want to come back. This can be a losing battle," he said. Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) said laws have to be painful enough to be a deteuent and to make students think twice before doing anything. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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