[Photo: File]

The handling of a recent bullying incident at Queen Victoria School has come under scrutiny in Parliament, with concerns raised over delays in reporting the matter to the Ministry of Education.

Opposition MP Hem Chand has questioned the effectiveness of monitoring and reporting procedures in schools, following allegations that 37 Year 11 students were bullied by senior students at QVS.

Chand says the incident is alarming, particularly as the matter was reportedly brought to the Ministry’s attention by parents rather than school management.

“My question to the Honorable Minister, the recent bullying case at QVS is quite alarming, where year 13 students, they bullied year 11 students, if I’m not wrong, 37 students, they were bullied by year 13 students.”

Responding to the concerns, Education Minister Aseri Radrodro acknowledged that reporting of the incident to the Ministry was not timely.

However, Radrodro maintains that the school followed the appropriate procedures and policies in handling the matter.

“As I’ve already alluded to, any incident that happened in school, this is dealt with by the head of school. So appropriate processes and procedures were followed according to the policies that I have highlighted. I think the only discrepancy noted was the untimely reporting to the ministry.”

Radrodro has urged school heads not to conceal or delay reporting serious incidents, stressing that timely information is essential for the Ministry to intervene and protect students.

He says the Ministry is reviewing its existing policies and monitoring procedures to strengthen accountability and ensure schools provide a safe learning environment.

The Minister has also indicated that the Ministry is considering establishing a national school safety and anti-bullying steering committee to improve prevention and reporting mechanisms.