Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has stressed that the Student Protection Policy is not intended to place blame on teachers whenever an incident involving pupils occurs.
She said safeguarding students was a shared responsibility involving the entire education and public safety ecosystem, rather than being placed solely on teachers. This includes the Education Ministry (MOE), state education departments, district education offices, school administrators, police, the Social Welfare Department and parents.
“The policy is not about finding someone to blame when something happens, let alone making teachers scapegoats. We want to protect students, protect teachers and create a safe school ecosystem,” she said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Her statement came amid concerns among some teachers and parents over the implementation of the policy, particularly regarding the division of responsibilities and the procedures to be followed when student safety or welfare issues arise.
Among the concerns raised was the requirement for teachers to sign a declaration related to the policy. The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) had previously expressed concern that the document could have implications for teachers and proposed replacing it with a commitment pledge to avoid further controversy.
Fadhlina said one of the main concerns raised by teachers in recent days involved what would happen to them if an incident involving a student occurred. Some teachers were also uncertain about the appropriate steps to take after receiving complaints and felt that the policy had not yet been adequately explained.
“I hear all these concerns. That is why I have asked the Director-General of Education, Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad, to continue engagement sessions and briefings so that every question from teachers can be answered clearly,” she said.
Fadhlina said the policy was not introduced without consultation, noting that the ministry had previously engaged with various stakeholders, including state and district education officials, NUTP, the Malaysian Headmasters and Principals Council, SUHAKAM, UNICEF, ARUS Academy, Buku Jalinan Chow Kit and several non-governmental organisations.
However, she said the ministry considered its engagement efforts incomplete if teachers remained uncertain or worried after the sessions.
Further briefing sessions will continue, with recordings to be made available for teachers to refer to, she added.
Fadhlina also clarified that teachers do not need to wait until they have complete evidence before reporting concerns about a student’s safety. A complaint or reasonable suspicion should be reported promptly to the school administration, after which the case should be coordinated and referred to the relevant authorities according to its nature and severity.
She said the procedure was intended to give teachers greater clarity over their responsibilities while ensuring students were not subjected to repeated trauma through inappropriate handling of cases.
Fadhlina also assured teachers that they would not be left to deal with such responsibilities alone, adding that legal assistance could be provided by the ministry where appropriate and based on the circumstances of each case.
She said engagement and clarification efforts must continue until teachers fully understand their roles, limits of responsibility and the appropriate action to take when dealing with student safety and welfare concerns.
“Protecting our children is a shared responsibility. Teachers should not have to carry it alone,” she said.
