KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will introduce a Sekolahku Sejahtera (Prosper My School) concept as a way of dealing with bullying in schools.

       “We are at the final stages of engagement to introduce the Sekolahku Sejahtera concept,” said Education Minister Datuk Radzi Jidin.

       “It is not a new subject but a concept to inculcate noble values among students,” he said when wrapping up his ministerial replies on Budget 2022 at the committee stage in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

       He was responding to the issue of bullying in schools, which was raised by several MPs during debates.

       This comes in the wake of the most recent bullying incident at a boarding school in Perak.

       The incident, which was captured on video, went viral on social media platforms recently, sparking national fury.

       Police have so far hauled up 12 Form One students to assist in investigations.

       Radzi acknowledged that bullying in schools was not new and continued to occur despite stern action taken previously.

       “I was a boarder while at the Royal Military College and am aware of what it is like living in a dormitory,” he said.

       Radzi noted that some students behaved irrationally when in groups.

       “They feel that if they are in a group, they can bully their peers.

       “One of the other factors is that they do not consider that what they are doing is wrong.

       “It is also about a lack of empathy,” he said.

       He added that the bullies also failed to think about the consequences of their actions on their victims, their families and their own future.

       On the Sekolahku Sejahtera concept, Radzi said rational behaviour was one of the values to be imparted.

       “These elements will be inculcated indirectly during classes and it is not a new subject.

       “We want the noble principles to be taught naturally,” he said, stressing the need to teach students at a young age to behave in a rational manner.

       However, Radzi did not elaborate what the 14 elements were under the concept, only saying that he would do so at a later time.

       Earlier, Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN-Parit) suggested that the Education Ministry set up a “boarders warden committee” to handle safety issues in schools.

       He said the committee should comprise people who were not from the teaching profession.

       Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) called for better action to safeguard students in school as bullying posed a threat to their lives.