MAJLIS Amanah Rakyat (Mara) is considering hiring retired policemen and army personnel as wardens at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) boarding schools in an effort to curb bullying.
Its chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said this was among proposals discussed in a meeting with Mara director-general Datuk Zulfikri Osman yesterday.
There were also suggestions that wardens be appointed on a contract basis and that they go through interviews and assessments, reported The New Straits Times.
"Yesterday I had a discussion with the director-general of Mara to eliminate this bullying culture.
"These wardens can be appointed through an interview process and a holistic assessment of candidates from among the military or police retirees.
"They must have the potential to inculcate discipline in the boarding school students and monitor their personal and character development," he said.
He said this in a Facebook comment following the termination of the seven students involved in a bullying case.
The decision was made based on recommendations by the MRSM disciplinary committee following a video of a group bullying another student that had gone viral.
The clip, which runs over one minute, showed a group of students assaulting another boy on a bed. The teenage boy was also seen being hit with a belt on his buttocks.
The Mara chairman said seven students were confirmed to be involved in the bullying incident and five others were accomplices. – April 8, 2025
