Fining Jailing Teachers For Vaping Disproportionate Mca

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Imposing heavy fines and prison sentences on already overworked teachers for vaping is disproportionate, said MCA Education Consultative Committee deputy chairperson Felicia Wong.
This is particularly when there are more pressing issues within the education system, she said.
“While MCA fully supports the principle that teachers must serve as role models for Malaysian children and youth, such measures must not overlook the broader context of teacher welfare and the many other pressing issues within our education system that demand urgent attention.
“Maintaining discipline in schools is important. However, imposing heavy fines and imprisonment as the implied first and only option for vaping offences among already overburdened and under-rewarded teachers appears disproportionate.
ADS“In some cases, vaping may be an unhealthy coping mechanism for stress rather than a deliberate act of defiance against professional standards,” she said in a statement.
MCA Education Consultative Committee deputy chairperson Felicia WongThis came in response to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek's announcement that teachers caught smoking or vaping on school premises could face fines of up to RM10,000 or two years' imprisonment under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.
Financial pressure
Wong further quoted a 2024 study from Khazanah Research Institute, which found that nearly three-quarters of education graduates were earning below RM2,000 - significantly less than a decade ago.
Given these financial pressures, she emphasised that many teachers today are under enormous strain and seeking alternative ways to cope with stress, particularly with rising living costs and disproportionate workloads.
According to Wong, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said in 2023 that more teachers were opting for early retirement, citing that many chose to leave because they were uninterested in the roles.
She urged this issue to be addressed, and for more efforts to improve teachers’ welfare and encourage them to remain in their profession.
“Making criminals out of teachers simply for vaping is counter-productive to boosting teacher morale,” she added.
“At the same time, schools face far more serious challenges, such as teacher shortage, bullying, sexual predation, molestation, and many others, that present a far greater threat to student wellbeing than a teacher vaping on school grounds.
“These critical issues require urgent, sustained attention and resources from the Education Ministry, yet they often remain under-addressed," she added.
Regulation amendment
On Monday, Fadhlina said in a parliamentary reply to Perikatan Nasional's Padang Terap MP Nurul Amin Hamid that the ministry was in the process of amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to include a sub-regulation on smoking.
ADSThis includes all forms of cigarettes, devices, electronic tools and ­liquids related to vapes.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek“This new amendment is in line with the enforcement of the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health (A852) 2024, which was gazetted by the Health Ministry on Oct 1, 2024.
“This prohibition includes the sale of vape products to those under the age of 18 and enforcement actions against premises selling vape products within 40m of a school boundary or fence.
“The ministry will not compromise with teachers who vape, especially openly or in front of students, because they have violated the Malaysian teacher standards, which emphasises the responsibility of teachers as role models,” Fadhlina said.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad similarly told the Dewan Rakyat last month that his ministry is working towards fully banning the sale of vape and e-cigarette products.
However, Dzulkefly said they are evaluating the effectiveness of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act (Act 852) first.
The Health Ministry previously announced that it is collaborating with the Education Ministry to train counselling teachers and Drug Prevention Education teachers to handle students who are involved in smoking.
Enforcement under Section 13 of Act 852 prohibits the sale of smoking products to teenagers, while Section 17 of Act 852 prohibits individuals who are still minors from consuming smoking products, including electronic cigarettes or vapes. - Mkini

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