KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — MCA today voiced concern over the Education Ministry’s proposal to fine or jail teachers caught vaping or smoking on school grounds, saying the move risks punishing educators without addressing the root causes of the problem.

MCA education consultative committee deputy chairperson Felicia Wong Yin Ting said the proposed penalties — fines of up to RM10,000 or a maximum two-year jail term under the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024 — must be weighed against the realities faced by teachers.

“Imposing heavy fines and imprisonment as the implied first and only option for vaping offences among already overburdened and under-rewarded teachers appears disproportionate,” she said in a press statement today.

“In some cases, vaping may be an unhealthy coping mechanism for stress rather than a deliberate act of defiance against professional standards,” she added.

Wong also said schools are dealing with “far more serious” challenges such as teacher shortages, bullying, and sexual misconduct; which she viewed as posing a greater concern for student wellbeing than incidents of teachers vaping on school grounds.

“These critical issues require urgent, sustained attention and resources from the education ministry, yet they often remain under-addressed,” she said.

Citing Khazanah Research Institute data from April 2024, Wong said nearly three-quarters of Malaysian education graduates earn below RM2,000, with only a small fraction exceeding RM3,000. 

She added that in 2023, 6,394 teachers opted for early retirement, up from 5,306 the previous year, with many citing disinterest in their roles alongside family, health, and workload factors.

Wong urged the government to consider measures such as counselling, mandatory training or suspension before custodial sentences, and to invest more in teachers’ mental health, remuneration and working conditions.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek yesterday said teachers caught smoking or vaping on school grounds could face fines of up to RM10,000 or a maximum two-year jail term.

She said the Ministry of Education will not tolerate such behaviour as it breaches the Malaysian Teacher Standard and sets a negative example for students.