IPOH, Dec 16 — The state government plans to establish an introductory briefing between students, teachers and hostel wardens before school session begins so that bullying cases do not recur in the state, the Perak State Assembly (DUN) was told today.

State Education, Higher Education and Human Resources Committee chairman Ahmad Saidi Mohamad Daud said it planned to organise the session but needed the cooperation of all parties for it to be a success. 

"My office representing the Perak government has held an engagement session with the State Education Department for us to look at existing school standard operating procedures compliance.

"We try to make sure that if possible, before starting (school sessions), there will be some introductory sessions so that previous cases of bullying will not arise again,” he said during the winding-up session of his portfolio today.

He was responding to Jamilah Zakaria (BN-Trong) who wanted to know whether the state government or the authorities would hold a briefing session for students so that they would not be afraid to report bullying cases in school as well as procedures for self-protection if victimised. 

Police arrested 10 students of the Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) Sultan Azlan Shah Kuala Kangsar for investigation following a bullying incident involving a Form One male student which went viral through several video clips on social media last week.

Meanwhile, commenting on anti-vaccine teachers in Perak, Ahmad Saidi said a total of 99.13 per cent of teachers had received the vaccine and the rest had not been vaccinated due to health history, allergies, chronic illness, pregnancy or who were planning their pregnancies. 

"Teachers who have not been vaccinated are (kept) separated from other students or teachers in the school, and are not even allowed to face each other except when holding learning sessions online,” he said.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad had said that as of Nov 8, a total of 37,069 teachers had been vaccinated, while 369 had not yet received the vaccine in Perak. — Bernama