SHAKIR (not his real name) wants to know what the government can do to reduce bullying in schools.
The 43-year-old single father of two worries constantly about the safety of his children - a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl - within the school compound.
"There have been some bullying incidents in the school. Some of the bullies are said to have been 'extorting' money from classmates and roughing them up, among other things.
"I always tell my kids to stay away from such groups. The teachers are doing what they can to reprimand the bullies, including by calling up their parents to do the same at home.
"But there is nothing concrete about efforts to mitigate the recurrence of such incidents. Is there any specific system in place to overcome this issue?" asks Shakir.
His concern echoes that of many parents across the country - a growing anxiety that has even gained Parliament's attention.
In response to the rising number of school bullying cases, some of which have ended in tragedy, in August the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development came up with 17 recommendations to address the problem.
These include organising workshops, setting up complaint boxes, holding awareness campaigns and introducing a helpline.
The Education Ministry has since said it would review and "take action" on all the recommendations submitted by the committee.
However, while the proposals reflect lawmakers' concern, several experts view some of the ideas as outdated or impractical.
One of the suggestions - assigning former police or army personnel as school wardens - is seen by some as a misplaced attempt to "securitise" education spaces.
"We need staff who are trained to be housepersons or childminders - roles that require patience, proper training, and the objectivity to remain neutral," says counselling psychologist Jackie Yong.
Making the rule
The committee's 17 recommendations outline measures such as a child-friendly bullying hotline with chat features and mandatory anonymous reporting options for all schools.
Other proposals include complaint boxes at boarding schools, confidentiality for victims and whistleblowers, anti-bullying committees and a mandatory child protection policy.
It also suggests integrating child protection and anti-bullying modules into teacher training, along with empathy-building workshops, stronger peer support systems and increasing the number of trained school counsellors.
The committee further recommends that boarding schools appoint wardens from former military or police personnel - subject to strict screening and child protection training - redesign physical layouts to reduce bullying risks, and set up a dedicated child helpline.
While the proposals appear comprehensive, Early Childhood Care and Education Council (ECCE) Malaysia founding president Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng warns that Malaysia has issues with weak implementation and poor monitoring of laws and rules.
"Malaysia has good intentions in passing laws and formulating policies and regulations, but the implementation and enforcement are often lacking," she says.
Chiam stresses that addressing the issue requires a whole-of-government approach, as school violence is rooted in multiple factors, from social environments to digital influence.
"Instead of passing more laws or formulating new policies, the government should study and evaluate existing ones to determine their effectiveness - to remove, improve or create new ones where necessary.
"All ministries and departments need to work together. The Education Ministry cannot create a safe school environment without collaboration with the Digital Ministry, Communications Ministry, Rural and Regional Development Ministry, Health Ministry, and the Women and Community Development Ministry," she says.
So what practical reforms in school discipline, teacher empowerment, or reporting mechanisms are most urgently needed?
"Teachers and administrators must be trained to detect children with emotional and social problems and to provide a caring, non-discriminatory environment where each child feels valued and respected. They need active listening skills and must be approachable," says Chiam.
She also cautions that reactive or punitive measures can be counterproductive.
"There are many reasons why a person exhibits violent behaviour. The government must study these carefully before implementing any new measures. Otherwise, they may just be band-aid solutions."
On the government's decision to retain caning as a last-resort disciplinary measure, Chiam says it reflects an outdated mindset.
"To me, caning is outdated. It's humiliating and doesn't help people articulate their problems. If anything, it makes them more aggressive while their underlying issues remain unresolved.
"They may obey the rules temporarily, but their problems persist and could worsen in adulthood."
Do it differently
Child and adolescent psychiatrist Assoc Prof Dr Wan Salwina Wan Ismail says all stakeholders must first agree that bullying is not a normal part of growing up.
"Schools, parents, and communities each have distinct roles, but they must collaborate as a team to create safer, more supportive environments where children can thrive socially and emotionally.
"By joining forces, they can ensure that children grow up feeling valued, supported and empowered to treat others with kindness whether at home, in school and in their communities," says Dr Wan Salwina, who is attached to the Psychiatry Department at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz.
She emphasises that parents play the most crucial role in shaping empathy and emotional resilience.
"At home, parents can model respectful relationships and positive behaviour. This foundation helps children develop resilience and learn appropriate ways to handle conflict, manage emotions and respect others.
"Maintaining open communication is equally important - encouraging children to share their experiences without fear of judgment allows parents to identify problems early and offer support."
She adds that parents should monitor and guide both offline and online activities, know their children's friends, and set reasonable limits while granting age-appropriate freedom.
Dr Wan Salwina: Creating a positive school environment where respect, inclusion and kindness are actively promoted is equally vital. -- Pic provided
Schools and the law
Creating a positive school environment where respect, inclusion and kindness are actively promoted is equally vital, says Dr Wan Salwina.
"This means celebrating diversity, encouraging peer support, and teaching social-emotional skills from an early age to build empathy and understanding among students.
"To support this, schools should implement comprehensive social-emotional learning [SEL] programmes that help students manage emotions, resolve conflicts, and empathise with others - key skills that reduce the triggers of bullying."
Teachers and staff, she adds, must also be trained to recognise early warning signs.
"Rather than intervening only after incidents occur, teachers should identify risk factors and provide support before negative behaviours escalate," she says.
For policymakers, Dr Wan Salwina stresses that Malaysia's anti-bullying programmes, although long established, must be updated to reflect changing social dynamics and the influence of digital platforms.
"They should update programme content to include challenges like cyberbullying and social media influence, ensuring strategies remain culturally relevant and evidence-based.
"More importantly, anti-bullying efforts must be consolidated into a regular, consistent and unified national framework."
Such a framework, she says, should set clear national standards and guidelines for all schools, ensuring fairness and consistency in prevention and intervention measures.
Providing ongoing training and resources for teachers is crucial, as is support for parents through workshops and informational materials.
"These steps will empower families to reinforce positive behaviours at home and recognise early signs of bullying."