School complaint boxes ‘failing’, students left feeling exposed, town hall told

KUALA LUMPUR: School complaint boxes meant for anonymous reporting of bullying are failing, with students saying they feel exposed and unsafe, says Yeo Bee Yin.

The Women, Children and Community Development Select Committee (WCCDSC) chair described criticism of the boxes as one of the most unexpected findings from Parliament’s first Children’s Town Hall.

The committee had previously regarded the boxes as a workable solution.

“After hearing their input today, we realised that although the boxes are supposed to be anonymous, they are placed in locations that are far too exposed,” she told reporters following the town hall on Friday (Nov 21).

She said the feedback, along with other concerns raised during the session, would be used to refine the committee’s recommendations.

“From input like this, and many others we received today, we can fine-tune our proposals to the ministry to improve the policies and guidelines. We will recommend that complaint boxes be placed in less exposed areas so that children feel safe and their privacy is protected.”

Yeo added that students had repeatedly emphasised the importance of privacy.

“They stressed privacy very strongly, and I can see how much they value it. In the new guidelines, we need to look at how children’s privacy can be better safeguarded in our regulations and policies.”

She admitted she was taken aback by reports that complaints could quickly spread among teachers and students, leaving pupils feeling their privacy had been violated.

WCCDSC deputy chair Rodziah Ismail said she was struck by the students’ honesty and lack of confidence in the reporting system.

“When I asked whether they understood the bullying complaint system, they did. But they lacked trust,” she said, adding that many felt teachers were not taking cases seriously enough.

“One thing I realised is that we often forget that these children speak from the heart,” Rodziah said, noting that most schools represented were already aware that bullying issues had existed for some time.

She stressed that the ministry needed to strengthen both the system and the role of teachers, and consider whether having only a single channel for complaints was sufficient.

A total of 110 students, aged 14 to 16 years old, from 44 schools across Klang Valley and Putrajaya attended the town hall.

The committee will now compile the input from the session and meet next week to finalise its recommendations.