KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today warned schools against concealing bullying and abuse cases to protect their reputation, saying doing so could come at the expense of students’ wellbeing.
Responding to a supplementary question from Indera Mahkota MP Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar said some schools might be reluctant to report such cases because they wanted to maintain a good public image and performance record.
“There are problems, and sometimes they are covered up because they do not want a bad image.
“They want to protect the school’s performance and maintain a good perception. But the children are the ones who suffer, feeling abused and pressured when they go to school,” he said.
Anwar said he agreed with the Royal Malaysia Police’s call for schools not to conceal such cases, stressing that protecting a school’s image should not come before the safety and wellbeing of students.
“Don’t hide it. We hide it to protect the school’s image, but we damage our children. We don’t think about that,” he said.
Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail said safety issues in schools should not be concealed to protect reputations, as doing so could prevent authorities from taking action.
He said cooperation between the police and schools should be strengthened to ensure all incidents were reported for further action.
Anwar said the sense of urgency in addressing bullying and abuse must also be strengthened, adding that he had taken a firm position on the issue in several speeches at schools.
“The issue of bullying and abuse, in several of my speeches at schools, I have been very firm,” he said.
Anwar also acknowledged that the urgency of measures being taken might not have been communicated clearly enough, but said the government would improve its approach.
He said parents and families also had an important role in monitoring their children’s wellbeing, expressing hope that their combined efforts would prevent similar cases in future.
“Hopefully, we can protect our country from cases that deeply affect us,” he said.
