Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Deputy Michelle Mulherin, has said that the Government’s new Action Plan on Bullying will help to tackle the scourge of bullying in schools across Mayo. Five hundred thousand euro has been ring-fenced to support the implementation of the plan this year, which will include a campaign on cyber bullying and the development of national anti-bullying procedures for all schools.
Dep Mulherin said: “Bullying, whether is it online or in the school corridor, can have a very serious impact on children and young people. Your confidence and self-belief can be shattered as a result of taunts and harassment from your peers. This can have a lasting impact well into adulthood, and it is something that we should all be working together to address.”
Last year, the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, and the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, held an anti-bullying forum, which invited submissions from interested parties and stakeholders. This fed into the new Action Plan on Bullying, which includes 12 actions and a series of recommendations.
As part of the plan, a new national anti-bullying website will be established to give parents, teachers, and pupils advice and information. New national procedures will be developed for all schools, which will include a template for recording incidents of bullying, to be in place by the start of the next school year. This will help to identify where and why bullying is occurring.
The problem of bullying is nothing new; unfortunately children have been bullied for as long as they have been going to school. But cyber bullying has added a new dimension to the problem; and we all need to face the challenge of how to tackle online harassment and abuse. As part of the Action Plan, a media campaign focussed on cyber bullying will be launched in early February, specifically targeted at young people.
“It is also important that social media companies and internet service providers continue to work with State agencies to raise awareness about cyber bullying and how to address it,” said Dep Mulherin.
The plan was also welcomed by MEP Jim Higgins but he asked if it goes far enough.
“Bullying practices are learned in the home or in school and are then carried to later life and the work place. This is not just a school yard problem; it is a societal problem responsible for many more suicides than we might imagine,” Mr Higgins added.
“The report makes it clear that preventing and tackling bullying requires support from parents and wider society. Indeed many counsellors admit that the act of bullying can often be a cry for help and that the bully is often in need of greater attention than the victim,” he said.
The plan was also welcomed by the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland but its said cuts to the education system including the guidance counselling service were impacting on a school’s ability to provide a supportive environment for vulnerable young people.
Educate Together has called the action plan a positive development for Irish education.
