Education Ministry launches bullying reporting platform

Education Minister Sonia Parag (fourth from right) with education officials at the consultation yesterday

The Ministry of Education yesterday announced that moral and civic education are new subjects that will form part of timetables in schools within the next two weeks. It also launched the Management Information Systems Unit (MISU) platform for bullying which will allow for confidential reporting of incidents between schools and the ministry.

The announcements were made by Education Minister Sonia Parag at the public consultation on the new Anti-Violence and Anti-Bullying Policy for schools at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. The MISU is a digital tool that streamlines communication between schools and the ministry while maintaining the privacy of those involved.

Several head teachers and education professionals were able to make their input on what they thought could effectively address the issue of bullying in schools. Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali, for example, joined the teaching profession 52 years ago. She recalled that in her days, there were guidance and counselling sessions that all teachers were required to be part of.