PARLIAMENT | Increased awareness and greater willingness among victims, witnesses, and school administrators to report bullying are among the factors driving a rise in recorded cases nationwide this year, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said.

During her winding-up speech on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon, she said the education ministry had recorded 5,681 bullying cases between January and August this year.

She said the figure further reflected a shift away from concealing incidents to protect schools’ reputations.

“This shift in the reporting landscape has also occurred abruptly since the gazetting and enforcement of the Anti-Bullying Act 2026.