PUTRAJAYA – Teachers and other authority figures must refrain from posting or circulating online videos of altercations between students within school compounds, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
Calling on school teachers and ministerial servants to do their part in protecting the privacy and identity of students, the Nibong Tebal MP cautioned that such videos will have long-term effects on the children involved.
“Whenever these videos (of schoolchildren fighting) make the rounds on social media, the children’s right to identity protection has been breached as their faces can clearly be seen.
“Oftentimes, there is no reason to sensationalise such incidents,” she said during a press conference here after delivering her 2023 address to her ministry staffers.
Fadhlina also referenced a recent viral video depicting several students clad in school uniforms kicking and punching a fellow student in a violent clash at high school in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Noting that she has brought the issue to the attention of the Sabah Education Department, Fadhlina lamented the disclosure of the school involved.
“The matter will be handled between the state’s Education Department and the school. The ministry believes that state Education Departments should be empowered to take charge of such cases,” she said.
The ministry, she said, prioritised shielding students from “unnecessary” online attention, which could bring about detrimental consequences.
She also said that the ministry intends to provide counselling services to students involved in such incidents.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina also announced that 118 new preschools will be established in various locations throughout the country, a move which she lauded.
“This is an extraordinary increase… all the (additional) preschools are already complete in terms of infrastructure, teaching manpower, and student enrollment,” she said.
“Regarding the locations of the 118 preschools, they are demographically spread out.”
Besides that, she also said that the ministry has plans to raise the rate for the Preschool Food Aid programme nationwide.
Under the new rates, preschools in Peninsular Malaysia will receive RM2.50 instead of RM2 while such institutes in East Malaysia will receive RM2.75, up from RM2.25.
Pointing to a proposal sent to the Treasury for this to be included in Budget 2023, Fadhlina said that the suggested increase will allow children to receive suitable food with the required nutritional content. – The Vibes, January 19, 2023
