A new guideline to improve the handing of bullying cases involving students will be distributed to all schools nationwide from next week.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said among the improvements in the guideline involved the process and duration of investigation of a case to ensure prompt action could be taken.

"Prompt action must be taken and in a bullying case, the most important is investigation, involving the student bullies and the victims, by the school management and whether it involves the police or otherwise.

"We cannot wait to set up a committee before taking action, it will be late," he told reporters after attending a briefing at the Penang Education Department here, Wednesday.

He said most bullying cases did not involve the police but were only internal cases involving the victims' parents, the bullies and school management.

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"Normally, light cases can be settled at the school level. Level two, which cannot be settled in school, must be referred to the District Education Office or State Education Department," he said.

Mahdzir said bullies were either warned, suspended from school or transferred to other schools.

He said the punishments were as a lesson while more serious actions such as expulsion was a final solution for students involved in crimes.

"But we also determine the seriousness of the offences, a transfer can serve as a lesson to them. Expulsions often do not offer a chance to the students, as they are still children," he said.