PRESS STATEMENT: 6 March 2026 - Likas State Assemblyman YB Tham Yun Fook Responds to the Education Minister’s Statements on School Bullying Data and Measures
Although the Ministry of Education cited data showing that nationwide school bullying cases in 2025 decreased compared to 2024 (from 7,681 cases to 2,889 cases), we must emphasize that a decline in numbers does not mean the problem has been fundamentally resolved.
In 2025, there were still 740 cases in primary schools and 2,149 cases in secondary schools. Each incident can cause psychological trauma and even threaten the safety of students. Statistics only reflect part of the situation; the true sense of campus safety and students’ mental well-being is far more indicative of the severity of the problem.
Among the measures highlighted by the Education Minister, two points must be emphasized:
- CCTV installation and the increase of guidance counselors were only implemented after a boarding school student tragically died from a fall, and are considered reactive measures;
- Verbal warnings, suspensions, and expulsion have long been standard disciplinary measures in schools and are not new strategies.
This demonstrates that the Ministry has lacked proactive prevention and systemic responses to serious bullying incidents, which contributed to tragic outcomes. A life lost cannot be restored by any amount of money, and declining numbers cannot obscure the underlying risks.
Moreover, the decline in reported cases may be partly due to the reporting system itself: some incidents may not have been fully recorded or reported, failing to truly improve student safety. Many victims or their parents are afraid to report bullying to the Ministry for fear of retaliation. Some teachers also remain silent due to bullying by superiors, enduring long-term psychological stress, with some choosing early retirement or leaving the profession. The existing SISPA reporting system often suffers from “bureaucratic protection,” and does not adequately safeguard whistleblowers.
Therefore, I call on the Ministry of Education and all stakeholders to implement more effective and forward-looking measures:
- Strengthen proactive prevention: Promote mental health education, peer support programs, and family/community engagement to reduce bullying incidents;
- Continuous campus safety monitoring: In addition to CCTV, install audio detection devices in key areas such as toilets, capable of listening to calls for help and directly connecting to teachers’ offices; implement night patrols and guidance interventions in boarding schools to ensure bullying can be detected and addressed immediately;
- Establish independent disciplinary committees and reporting mechanisms: Each state education department or state government should set up an independent committee to provide parents, teachers, public figures, and students with safe and transparent channels to report bullying, ensuring whistleblower protection;
- Strictly enforce zero-tolerance policies: Disciplinary actions must be combined with preventive measures, not solely rely on reactive punishment;
- Focus on student mental health: Integrate psychological counseling with educational curricula to help students cope with stress, conflicts, and bullying.
School bullying remains a serious issue. Ensuring the safety and lives of every student and teacher is an irreplaceable responsibility of the Ministry of Education and society. We cannot rely solely on declining statistics to reassure ourselves; we must take concrete actions to ensure children can learn in a safe and supportive environment.
