Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Firm: Zero Tolerance for Bullying and Harassment in Schools
The surge in bullying and sexual harassment cases within school environments has drawn serious attention from the government. Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Wamendikdasmen) Fajar Riza Ul Haq has firmly stated that there will be no tolerance for perpetrators, especially if it leads to loss of life among victims.
“We emphasise that there is no tolerance for any sexual harassment, no tolerance for any bullying, especially if it results in the death of the victim,” Fajar asserted to reporters after inspecting the Academic Ability Test (TKA) implementation and the use of Interactive Flat Panels (PID) at SMPN 6 Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Tuesday (14/4/2026).
Fajar stated that the current challenge in the world of education is to create a safe, comfortable, and healthy learning environment. To this end, the government through the Ministry of Education, Basic and Secondary Education has issued Regulation of the Minister of Education, Basic and Secondary Education Number 6 of 2026 on Safe and Comfortable School Culture.
“This regulation reaffirms the government’s stance that there is no tolerance for any sexual harassment or bullying in schools,” he said.
According to Fajar, the government is concerned about the still numerous cases of sexual harassment and bullying in school environments. He noted that in several cases, bullying often originates from the family environment.
In response to the prevalence of such cases, Fajar encouraged schools to strengthen communication with families or students’ parents.
“Because often victims of bullying occur due to problems in the family that are not communicated to the school,” Fajar explained.
He revealed that thus far, when problems arise in school, communication between the school and parents often does not run optimally, leading to misunderstandings.
“That’s why in many cases teachers are reported, students who also experience violence. This happens due to a lack of communication between parents and the school,” he added.
Therefore, Fajar stressed the importance of resolving issues in the school environment through communication between parents, the school committee, and the school authorities, without immediately resorting to legal channels or reporting to law enforcement agencies (APH).
“So we want to suppress and eliminate bullying, harassment, and sexual violence on one hand. On the other hand, we encourage more intensive communication between families and schools. That is part of Regulation of the Minister of Education, Basic and Secondary Education Number 6 of 2026,” he concluded.