KUALA LUMPUR: Issues related to education, including aspects of student discipline and safety, teaching quality and the empowerment of skills education, took centre stage at the conclusion of the first week of the policy-level debate on the Supply Bill 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat.
Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) suggested caning be reinstated in schools as one of the measures to address discipline and bullying issues, along with regular psychological evaluations for teachers assigned to carry out the punishment.
“Why was it that back in our school days in the 1970s – a time when caning was widely permitted – there were no cases of murder or rape like those we see today? In fact, there were no negative psychological effects on the students; many of them went on to become successful and prominent individuals,” he said.
He also recommended emergency provisions for the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in more than 10,000 government schools nationwide, in addition to the establishment of a comprehensive anti-bullying and anti-sexual harassment support system, including increasing security patrols and engagement programmes with students and parents.
In agreement with Lim, Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) emphasised that the issue of safety and bullying in schools should not be taken lightly and proposed a special allocation to train teachers to identify early signs of emotional stress and potential violence among students.
He also urged that each school be equipped with a sufficient number of counsellors and structured psychological assessment programmes to enable early intervention.
Issues related to education were also raised by several other MPs, including Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah), William Leong (PH-Selayang) and Onn Abu Bakar (PH-Batu Pahat), who among other things urged that Form Six education be strengthened as an academic pathway to university and not considered as a last resort.
Touching on skills education, Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong) urged the government to expand access to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for rural youth, especially in Sarawak, with training programmes aligned to the actual needs of the industry and job market.
"This skills training opportunity should not be concentrated only in big cities. Young people in rural areas and in Sarawak must also be given equal opportunities to learn and obtain better jobs," he said.
Muslimin Yahaya (PN-Sungai Besar) also agreed that TVET should be expanded to rural areas to provide opportunities for more than 50,000 students who are unable to obtain the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia certificate each year due to failing in the Bahasa Melayu and History subjects.
Ali Biju (PN-Saratok) urged the education ministry to expedite the development of educational infrastructure in rural Sarawak to ensure that safe and quality learning facilities can be enjoyed by students, especially in remote areas.
Taking the example of the delay in the full replacement project of Sekolah Kebangsaan Abang Leman in Kabong, he said that stricter action should be taken against contractors who failed to meet the project schedules.