Deputy education minister Lim Hui Ying said all the reported cases have been investigated and follow-up actions have been taken, including counselling sessions for both bullies and victims.

“Based on the ministry’s data over the past three years, there were 326 cases reported in 2021, 3,887 cases in 2022, and 4,994 cases as of October this year,” she told the Dewan Rakyat.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau), who requested the ministry provide details of bullying cases involving schools under its purview and the status of the reported cases.

Lim said reducing bullying cases among school students requires the involvement of all parties, including the community, NGOs, and parents.

She added that the ministry will increase the number of counselling teachers in schools where bullying cases are on the rise to address the problem promptly.

“If the number of bullying cases increases, we will add more counselling teachers as an immediate measure,” she said.

A recent bullying incident that made headlines involved a group of Year 5 students in Kuala Krai, Kelantan, who kicked and hit a fellow student behind their school.