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Dealing with incidents where a student is physically or verbally bullied can be on the most difficult parts of a principal’s job.
In Malaysia, 84% of children report being bullied, with the majority of incidents being offline bullying.
Statistics from the Education Ministry show there were more than 14,000 cases of bullying in schools between 2012 and 2015, with most of them involving physical bullying. As such, the country’s schools have been trying to develop ways to tackle this problem.
This week, Malaysia’s Deputy Education Minister, P Kamalanathan, delivered some good news, revealing a decrease in the number of bullying cases in schools, from 3,448 in 2016 to 2,795 in 2017.
Speaking in parliament during Question Time, Kamalanathan said that the installation of CCTV cameras at high-risk schools had been a contributing factor in the decline of bullying incidents.
“The CCTVs are installed in schools that are categorised as high-risk, whereby each school is equipped with eight CCTV cameras and two monitors by the appointed security company,” Kamalanathan said.
“Three of the cameras must be installed in the main entrance, the guard post, and the entrance to the school’s administrative office, whereas the remaining five cameras were installed in locations set by the school administration.”
However, Kamalanathan said the ministry would not rest on its laurels.
“The involvement and cooperation of various quarters will further help to create a zero-bully situation,” he said.
Kamalanathan was responding to a question from William Leong (PKR-Selayang) on the latest developments concerning the installation of CCTV cameras at schools with records of disciplinary problems, to monitor crime and ensure students’ safety.
Based on the current contract under the education ministry, eight cameras and two CCTV monitors were installed at high-risk schools.
Kamalanathan said the cameras were installed at three places: the main entrance, inside the guardhouse and the entrance of the administrative office. The rest are to be installed in locations determined by the school administrators, such as laboratories, workshops, stationery stores and dining halls.
However, he said the cameras should be set up in appropriate areas that did not violate the rights and freedom of students and teachers.
“We have worked with various government and private agencies and have reached a holistic approach to achieve our goals of zero bullying in schools,” Kamalanathan said.
“The ministry is positive we would reach the target with the continued cooperation of different parties.”