PUTRAJAYA: The country’s education system must place greater emphasis on values, morals, and ethical principles, and not focus solely on academic knowledge, following several recent incidents involving bullying and sexual assault.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that the current system has its flaws.
“Take the issue of bullying, for example. I just made an announcement on Friday — decisions have already been made, the minister has spoken — and yet there’s another case of rape in school.
“Every time I attend events in Tambun, on Saturday alone, I had two school programs, and I made it a point to stress the issue of bullying,” he said during a Prime Minister’s Department monthly assembly for October here today.
The Prime Minister said such incidents reflect the weaknesses of the national education system, which overemphasizes academic achievement while neglecting moral and ethical values — the foundation of building individuals with character.
“Education without values, without moral and ethical principles, has its weaknesses.
“It’s not just the teachers’ fault; parents also play a role. Hopefully, we will all have the determination to do our best — for ourselves, our families, our society, and our nation,” he said.
During the 2026 Budget presentation last Friday, the Prime Minister announced allocations for the Ministry of Education (KPM) to develop a School Anti-Bullying Framework (SAFE), while the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) will increase the installation of CCTV cameras.
