Discipline Vs Empathy: Who Should Watch Over MRSM Kids — Ex Soldiers Or Counselors?
Former students who had a retired army man as a warden in their schools said students fear yet respect these men so there were no tomfoolery.
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In response to the alleged bullying case at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Nibong Tebal, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Chairman Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki suggested electing retired army veterans or police officers to be placed as wardens in all MRSM to curb bullying.
Asyraf’s suggestion drew conflicting view from netizens. A Twitter user claimed the school they were in had a former army man as the warden and the students were afraid but respected him.
Misbehaving students were punished by being made to run around the field as a first warning. If the students misbehaved again, they were kicked out of school.
Another user shared a similar experience in their school and claimed there were no bullying or ragging case when they had former military men as wardens.
A Twitter user also liked the idea of giving retired military men a paid job after they leave the force.
Tak jugak. Dulu sekolah sy.. warden bekas askar. Alhamdulillah. Nampak ketara penurunan kes buli. Yg mana buli bdk junior suruh baju baju bagai abis kene panggil menghadap. Kene denda lari keliling padang. 1st warning. 2nd time ade kes lagi. Terus buang sekolah
— 🇵🇸م ر. بوبو🇲🇾 (@NieFeng80) April 9, 2025
trust me it works,i once study dekat mrsm and ada satu warden ni bekas tudm or navy if im not mistaken.Mmg ramai yang takut dengan dia but at the same time ramai yang respect dia tambah blok yang dia jaga.Mmg blok tu takde isu ragging bagai
— xayver (@xayver166870) April 8, 2025
Alhamdulillah ni yg kt maukan. So veteran² ni ade peluang pekerjaan. Thorbaek
— Moonshine (@sein_hamid) April 8, 2025
However, some pointed out that these older former military men may not be able to understand the minds of teenagers. Due to this, they believe people who are trained in teen psychology like licensed counselors should be elected as wardens instead.
Many disagreed choosing former army men to become wardens, citing how it did not stop various bullying cases in military schools and colleges. They added that some soldiers have mental health issues of their own too.
Meanwhile, a user pointed out that MRSM is still a school so there’s no need for a heavy-handed approach to invite military men into the school. They explained students are not studying in MRSM to become soldiers.
While there are differing views, many agreed that teachers shouldn’t be forced to become wardens even if they’re paid a low allowance.
The current MRSM bullying case is centered on a video that went viral.
In the clip, the victim could be seen lying on the top bunk bed while a group of students sat on his body and hit his head. The boys also allegedly hit the victim with belts.
The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.
UPNM yang penuh askar pon tetap ada buli..😆
— Suhel🍉🇲🇾 (@MrArchiDaily) April 8, 2025
Apa bezanya dengan kes di UPNM yang semuanya tentera? Saran saya kalau ada laporan buli panggil orang tua menghadap… suruh bayar denda RM 500, 2 kali laporan tak berubah suruh bawa balik anak mereka… yang mental lembik jangan duduk asrama..
— Nizam Yusof Ali (@NizamYusofAli) April 8, 2025
Wrong move. Askar pun ramai mental disturbed. Kita nk suruh askar2 tu torture diorang sampai blh 'lahirkan' pembunuh pula ke?
— Dancing💞 (@aziekuchiki) April 8, 2025
Pembuli2 tu perlukan pakar2 psychology
Tak sesuai sbb tentera pun membuli jugak. Diaorg masuk situ nak belajar, bkn nak jd tentera. Jgn mengarut sgt. Tau la nk nmpk perforn tp bkn tu caranya. Walaupun tu mrsm tp tetap sekolah jugak. Tak perlu berlebih2.
— Avena sativa (@noraS631256) April 8, 2025
@drasyrafwajdi dr, aith all due respect, i think perkara ni perlu diperhalusi. jgn main just ckp mcm tu tnpa dasar. pesara polis/tentera xfaham perubahan pemikiran anak muda. lantikla org yg bkelayakan sprt kaunselor berlesen, bkn main amik mana2 cikgu bertugas atau pesara.
— pekupeku (@dyoguma) April 9, 2025
Benda ni sangat2 bagus… Bukan untuk mrsm sahaja tp di praktikkan untuk semua sekolah berasrama di bawah kpm or kerajaan negeri… Lantik mereka menjadi warden…. Kurang sikit beban cikgu yg terpaksa jadi warden dgn elaun rm300 je sebulan
— h🔺ikal (@eshcarl) April 8, 2025
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