Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded schools not to conceal bullying incidents merely to protect their reputation, stressing that immediate action must be taken to safeguard victims and address the problem effectively.
He said bullying should never be treated as a minor issue, as its impact on victims can be severe and such incidents can occur in any educational institution.
Speaking at the Temu Anwar programme with students and staff of the Teacher Education Institute (IPG) Technical Education Campus in Bandar Enstek on Friday, Anwar said school principals and headmasters should not be blamed for reporting bullying cases, but should instead be held accountable if they fail to act.
“A school with 1,000 students may have one or two bullying cases. That does not make the principal at fault. What is wrong is trying to cover up the incident instead of taking action,” he said.
Anwar noted that the continued occurrence of bullying reflects weaknesses in efforts to instil good character and moral values among students, despite greater access to religious education today.
“If we expose everything honestly, there would be bullying cases almost every day. This cannot continue because bullying has become a moral disease,” he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that education should not only produce academically outstanding students or technical experts but also individuals who possess compassion, respect others and uphold strong human values.
“You can become a technocrat, an IT expert or even earn a PhD, but it means little if you are not taught to value humanity and treat others with respect,” he said.
Anwar added that educators carry a significant responsibility in ensuring schools remain safe places for learning while nurturing a generation that is knowledgeable, morally upright and guided by compassion.
He also acknowledged that Malaysia’s teaching profession continues to perform at a high standard and expressed hope that its quality would continue improving in line with the nation’s educational aspirations.
