With a spate of bullying cases occurring across schools in Malaysia and the recent case which saw 13-year-old Zara Qairina dying due to alleged bullying, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has come up with a strategy to curb the problem.
The solution? Make students chant ‘We hate bullying’ before and after school.
M’sian students required to chant ‘We Hate Bullying’
According to Director-General of Education, Dr. Mohd. Azam Ahmad, he said this new initiative will be applied to all students studying at schools nationwide.
He added this is to “rebuild students’ mentality and psychology, as well as to create a safe school environment.”
All principals and headmasters must ensure that before entering class, pupils (and students) chant ‘Kami benci buli’ (we hate bullying).
“The same goes for before school ends for the day as this is the war we are declaring against the culture of bullying,” he said as quoted by Kosmo.
Mohd. Azam added MOE will also conduct safety audits at all schools, which is to be carried out by the Inspectorate Board, and presented to him every week.
“This is to ensure immediate action can be taken to prevent bullying and gangsterism. The number of hostel wardens will also be increased, closed-circuit television (CCTV) will be installed at strategic locations, and existing safety procedures will be further strengthened,” he said.
Netizens decry idea as ‘dumb’
On social media however, the initiative was met with shock by netizens, who wondered who even came up with it in the first place.
‘This is just stupid. It’s like the anti-drugs pledge, but does it fix anything? Come on, even the marriage taklik vow gets taken lightly. Who are the advisors for this?’
‘Fadhlina Siddiq, just step down already. You’re no different than Adham Baba (the previous MOE minister).’
Meanwhile, one sarcastically suggested that MPs chant ‘kami benci rasuah’ (we hate bribery) before Parliamentary meetings begin so that it could fix corruption.
What do you think of this initiative? Let us know in the comments!
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