KUALA LUMPUR: There is a pressing need to expand programmes aimed at enhancing self-worth, and promoting respectful language within the community, to mitigate behaviours which undermine others, particularly on social media, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
She said that the ministry supports the organisation of programmes focused on these goals.
She also highlighted a recent tragic incident, involving a female TikTok influencer who allegedly took her own life due to cyberbullying, as a stark example of society’s growing insensitivity to respectful communication.
“The current cyberbullying incident is exacerbated by the use of language which is completely unchecked and lacking in decency. It is therefore crucial for all stakeholders to organise more programmes like the MADANI Women’s Aspiration Seminar (ASWANI).
“Without an ecosystem which promotes the application of positive values, advancing and broadening our perspective on life will be challenging,” she said, while opening the ASWANI seminar, hosted by the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), here, today.
The ASWANI seminar, which will continue until tomorrow, features the presentation of ten papers, across two plenary sessions, showcasing the expertise of educators and researchers from the country.
The panel members included the Women’s Leadership Foundation chairperson Datuk Dr Hafsah Hashim; Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia vice-chancellor Prof Dr Syarifah Syahirah Sy Sheikh; and Prof Dr Haslinda Abdullah, director of the Institute of Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
