Shania Shayal Prasad 
Disturbing incidents of bullying is driving the Education Ministry to seek innovative solutions for crisis management.
In the past two years, a staggering 8,000 reported cases of bullying have raised grave concerns for the future of our education system.
More new cases continue to surface with the Substance Abuse and Advisory Council.
Head of Substance Abuse Advisory Council Josua Naisele says a report suggests the issue is common in the primary school setting and the type of bullying committed carries a lot of worries.
“The types of violence happening in schools include bullying, punching, beating, slapping, swearing, disrespecting, and name-calling. So there is a worrying trend in cases of bullying that have been reported in schools.”
Permanent Secretary for Education Selina Kuruleca says they are creating new methods of intervention to be practised by schools to address the matter.
“Last week during our principal’s conference, we addressed this with our principals by giving our principals some interventions that they can go and try out in their schools to reduce bullying, improve classroom management, reduce loitering, improve communication skills, and strengthen children’s confidence and responsibilities.”
The Substance Abuse Advisory Council is also collecting data from the first half of the current school year.
Meanwhile, Kuruleca maintains the Ministry’s zero tolerance for bullying.
She calls for a unified approach to shape children’s positive behaviour.
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