Policy On Pupil Protection Boosts Teacher Professionalism, Not Burden Educators

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- The School Pupil Protection Policy introduced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) aims to provide clearer guidelines to strengthen the teaching profession, rather than to victimise or add to teachers’ workload.

Director-General of Education Datuk Mohd Azam Ahmad said the ‘Pledge’ form under the policy was also not a mechanism intended to legally bind school personnel, particularly teachers.

Instead, he said the document aims to raise awareness and strengthen the commitment of education personnel towards 11 key guidelines to ensure the safety and protection of pupils in schools.

“The policies we introduce are not intended to victimise teachers. When we talk about professionalism, there must be clear policies and protocols.

“I urge teachers to sign (the pledge) as a demonstration of solidarity towards our children. By signing it, we acknowledge our commitment to taking care of our pupils,” he said during a Dialogue Session on the Pupil Protection Policy aired on the MOE’s EduWebTV YouTube channel.

The dialogue session was also attended by Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) Children’s Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, MOE School Management Division director Hanafi Abdul Samad and MOE Educational Policy Planning and Research Division director Datin Rosliza Rosli as panellists.

Mohd Azam also gave an assurance that the MOE would not arbitrarily blame teachers if an incident occurred at school, as investigations and relevant regulations must still be followed.

“The Ministry of Education is not cruel. Whenever (an incident) occurs, we do not simply blame the teacher. We will follow the regulations, guidelines and investigation procedures (before any action is taken),” he said.

Elaborating, he said the policy was developed following several incidents involving pupil safety, taking into account the views of various parties, including government agencies, SUHAKAM, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), teachers’ associations and non-governmental organisations.

Mohd Azam said the views were used to strengthen the existing Safe School Guidelines, with the Pupil Protection Policy serving as one of the new elements to address current challenges.

Meanwhile, Rosliza said the Pledge did not mean that teachers would automatically face action if an incident occurred, but was instead evidence of their commitment to carrying out their responsibilities to the best of their ability.

She said the responsibility was not limited to teachers, as parents would also be required to sign the Pledge to prevent unforeseen incidents, such as disputes involving guardians on school premises.

“Parents are also not exempted. Even though they send their children to school, they too are required to sign the Pledge. So, no one is exempted,” she said.

Meanwhile, Farah Nini said SUHAKAM had been involved from the early stages of developing the policy to ensure that child participation, which is a core principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), was taken into account.

She said the development of pupil safety mechanisms in schools was also progressing in tandem with efforts to formulate an Anti-Bullying Act to ensure comprehensive protection for children.

-- BERNAMA