Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah State Education Department (JPN Sabah) has clarified that there was no bullying incident involving a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha, Limauan, Papar, as alleged to have occurred in 2023.
JPN Sabah Director Datuk Raisin Saidin further said that the identity of the student shown in the viral social media post is also unknown to the school.
“This incident did not happen at SMKA Tun Mustapha, and no one knows this student. In fact, JPN has not received any disciplinary reports related to this case because it did not happen at that school,” he said when contacted by reporters on Thursday.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He was responding to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek’s Facebook post instructing JPN Sabah to investigate the matter. However, Raisin explained that the incident actually occurred at a different school and did not involve bullying, but rather a student who accidentally ran into a goalpost.
“Yes, it happened at another school, the student hit a goalpost and it was not bullying-related. The case was resolved the same year, and the student’s parents have since withdrawn the police report,” he said.
In her Facebook post, Fadhlina had said that a bullying case allegedly involving a student at a school in Sabah in 2023 had gone viral on social media.
As such, she called on JPN Sabah to investigate the matter immediately and urged the parents or guardians of the student involved to lodge a report with JPN Sabah or the police so appropriate action could be taken.
She also assured that the Ministry of Education (MOE) would not compromise on any bullying misconduct, stressing that it must be eradicated at all levels.
She also included the hashtag #YouTouchYouGo, believed to be a warning to any student involved in bullying that strict action would be taken, including possible expulsion.
