Legal Issues at Schools in Malaysia
(Empowering Educators: Professional Development Program (1) for Teachers)
By Guganeswary Vellayan
English Teacher
On January 11, 2025, a “Legal Issues at Schools in Malaysia” workshop was held at Kuen Cheng High School, Kuala Lumpur, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Two speakers conducted the workshop: Mr. Alvin Tan Keng Yi (Senior Associate) and Ms. Clara Oi Ai Leen (Associate) from Daljit Singh Partnership Advocates & Solicitors. Mr Alvin Tan, who holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from Aberystwyth University, Wales, 2019 has been actively practising criminal law. As for Ms. Clara Oi, a graduate of the University of London in 2019, she specialises in diverse legal practice areas. This workshop was targeted at our non-Chinese speaking teachers and was conducted in Malay.
Photo 1: Mr Alvin Tan sharing some of the legal issues faced by teachers and schools in Malaysia and the roles and responsibilities of teachers in curbing legal matters.
The primary goal of this workshop is to enlighten the teachers and the school on their responsibilities in handling cases of bullying at school. This workshop also highlighted the legal issues at schools in Malaysia through case analysis, acts involved and verdicts related to bullying. It aimed to raise awareness among teachers and school management. It focused mainly on bullying cases in Malaysia, where the teachers can gain some insights and precautions to deal with bullying incidents at schools and learn how to face them legally. Above all, both speakers vehemently mentioned that teachers are responsible for curbing bullying cases at school. Hence, it made the teachers indulge immensely in the workshop.
Photo 2: Ms. Clara Oi emphasized that Malaysia currently lacks specific legislation addressing bullying cases or legal matters within schools.
Both speakers explicitly explained each case analysis to create awareness and to enlighten the teachers and schools on how to deal with legal issues that happen at schools from the perspective of Malaysian jurisdiction. Listed below are the case analysis that Mr. Alvin Tan and Ms. Clara Oi presented:
Case Analysis 1: Cyber Bullying
Case Analysis 2: Physical Bullying
Case Analysis 3: Physical Punishment on Students
Case Analysis 4: Sexual Harassment
Case Analysis 5: Teacher Took Students for a Trip Personally
Case Analysis 6: Dissemination of Obscene Material
Case Analysis 7: Sexual Behaviour
Photo 3: The speakers explicitly explained each case analysis to raise awareness and enlighten the teachers on the consequences of legal issues at schools.
Photo 4: Teachers listen attentively to each case analysis presented by the speakers to gain valuable insights and awareness to halt bullying at school.