Zara Qairina's mum calls for non-interference in inquest as M'sia's MOE clamps down on school bullying

Malaysia's Ministry of Education (MOE) is clamping down on school bullying by taking a zero-tolerance approach, deputy minister Wong Kah Woh said on Sep. 13.

A formulated set of guidelines has since been issued to schools on the procedures to take to deal with bullying cases appropriately, Malay Mail reported.

Efforts to eradicate bullying are not a one-off initiative, but a long-term commitment, Wong said: “Cooperation between the MOE, the state education department, the district education office, as well as parents and the community, plays a crucial role in ensuring bullying incidents are eradicated at all levels.”

His statement comes after a recent slate of school bullying incidents in Malaysia.

In some cases, they were eventually fatal.

A 22-year-old student in Kuala Lumpur fell to her death from an apartment on Aug. 20 after she was allegedly bullied by three female classmates over a period of time.

A 10-year-old boy in Skudai, who had cancer, suffered brain trauma after allegedly being attacked by schoolmates.

Zara Qairina

Another victim, Zara Qairina Mahathir, made headlines after being found unconscious at the foot of her school dormitory on Jul. 16.

She later died in hospital.

Her death led to widespread protests around the country after rumours of a cover-up of bullying by authorities emerged.

Five teenagers were charged for allegedly being involved in the bullying that led to Zara's death, but pleaded not guilty on Aug. 20.

An inquest into her death began on Sep. 3 and is ongoing.

Non-interference

On Sep. 13, the legal team representing Zara's mother issued a statement urging all for caution when commenting on the ongoing inquest.

Public remarks could risk interfering with and undermining the judicial process, the lawyers said.

They noted that several individuals had been charged over public comments linked to the #JusticeForZara campaign during the protests, emphasising that Zara's name should not be misused.

They also called for solidarity gatherings to halt in the meantime, until the inquest is over.

Top images via Malaysian media, China Press & Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Johor/Facebook