NUTP urges education ministry to set up support mechanism for bullied teachers
Union president Aminuddin Awang says any channel must lead to real action, not merely exist on paper.
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has urged the education ministry to establish an effective support mechanism for teachers who fall victim to workplace bullying.
The call follows claims by a teacher at a school in Kepong who said she was subjected to unfair treatment that affected her chances of promotion.
NUTP president Aminuddin Awang said the mechanism must be impactful and not merely a complaints channel set up without any follow-up action.
"An impactful support mechanism for oppressed teachers must be created by the ministry, not just a channel that merely exists.
"Many teachers are in fact bullied indirectly. Set up this mechanism immediately," he told FMT. (Translated from Malay.)
The viral claim
Earlier, a claim went viral on social media in which a DG44-grade female teacher alleged she was bullied and oppressed by her headmistress, causing her to be passed over for promotion to DG48.
The teacher said she had served 17 years and received the Excellent Service Award three times, yet still failed to secure a promotion.
She also claimed she suffered depression and chronic anxiety due to workplace pressure, and that complaints made to the relevant parties were not acted upon — she was instead told to transfer schools.
The claim also stated that there were five cases of teachers being passed over for promotion under the same headmistress.
Call for full investigation
Aminuddin said that if the claims were true, the ministry must conduct a thorough investigation and take firm action against anyone found to have bullied others or abused their power.
"If this complaint is true, we hope firm action is taken against the bully. A thorough investigation must be carried out on the investigation SOP applied to the teacher's complaints.
"The ministry should also look at what remedial steps were taken for the teacher who lodged this complaint," he said.
Aminuddin also urged the ministry to pay attention to the welfare of teachers who go through investigations or legal proceedings but are ultimately found not guilty.
He said teachers who have gone through court proceedings and been acquitted, as well as those placed at district education offices for intervention programmes following police reports, should be helped to restore their reputations.
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