SHAH ALAM – Parental influence and issues at home are major contributing factors to bullying among school students, says Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
He stressed that it is unfair to place the blame solely on students or teachers.
"Don’t just blame the students or teachers. Parents and problems at home are among the key factors leading to bullying behaviours that extend to dormitories and schools,” he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
On Monday, Sinar Harian reported that Mara had ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of bullying at an MRSM (Mara Junior Science College) in the northern region of the country.
The directive followed the circulation of a one-minute 31-second video on Facebook showing several students allegedly stepping on and sitting on a male student.
What was even more shocking was that they used a belt to tie the victim’s legsand the boy appeared not to resist.
Asyraf Wajdi revealed that seven students involved in the incident have been recommended for expulsion.
The college’s disciplinary committee reached this decision following a meeting that confirmed their involvement.
"Investigations revealed that two students were directly involved in the bullying, while five others were complicit in the incident.
"As a result, all MRSM students involved recommended to be expelled from MRSM,” he added.