“Every member of the school community should do good, speak kind and positive words, behave politely, and be treated with the same care and consideration that will ensure everyone feels safe and welcomed.”
Students’ Recommendations for An Anti-Bullying School Policy
In 2019, 40 students came together to develop recommendations for an anti-bullying school policy in Malaysia to be publicly presented before Parliament.
Each one of these students strongly believe that youths of all ages deserve to feel safe in schools and have the utmost trust that they will be protected from any and all harm.
In diligently preparing and presenting these guidelines, they hope that victims will be awarded justice and that proper support will be provided for those victims as well as those who have been influenced into bullying.
A student brainstorms potential recommendations during a session
A student speaks about the impact of bullying on youths and outlines his view on how to properly mitigate it
6 recommendations were given by the students:
Update the “2010 Guidelines on Preventing and Addressing Bullying Among School Students” to include new forms of bullying such as cyber-bullying. Guidance for teachers, counselors, peer-counselors, and students should also be updated to reflect new trends;
Introduce the Code of Conduct for Students and Teachers in all schools to contribute to a safe learning environment;
Establish Comprehensive Reporting Systems for bystanders and witnesses;
Ensure thorough investigations that prioritise the privacy and protects the dignity of the victim and the bully;
Strengthen Support Assistance for victims of bullying so that students feel safe, trusted, and not sidelined;
Replace harsh punishment with a holistic Program for Bullies that will help the bully to empathise and understand the feelings of the victim. The approach should also study the factors that led to the bullying, including home factors.
To learn more about these recommendations, both policy papers are available for download below in both English and Bahasa Malaysia.
Download Policy Papers
Highlights
