A recent bullying case at Queen Victoria School involving Year 13 students allegedly bullying 37 Year 11 students, has raised questions about the monitoring and reporting of bullying incidents in schools.
The issue was raised in Parliament by Opposition MP Hem Chand, who questioned why the Ministry of Education was informed of the incident by parents rather than the school head.
Chand says the case highlights weaknesses in the monitoring and reporting of bullying incidents and asked what the Ministry is doing to ensure such matters are reported promptly.
Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro says the incident was handled according to the Ministry's existing policies and procedures, with the only discrepancy being the delay in reporting the matter to the Ministry.
Radrodro says the Ministry maintains a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and has policies in place to guide schools in preventing, reporting and managing such incidents.
These include the Student Code of Conduct, Behaviour Management Policy, Child Protection Policy and Drugs and Substance Abuse Policy.
He says school heads are responsible for receiving complaints, establishing the facts, ensuring the immediate safety of affected students, involving parents and guardians where appropriate, providing counselling and support, and applying corrective or disciplinary measures.
Radrodro says serious incidents involving physical assault, abuse or threats to students' safety must be reported promptly to the Ministry and referred to relevant authorities, including the Fiji Police Force where necessary.
He also urged school heads not to conceal or delay reporting serious incidents, saying timely information allows the Ministry to intervene and protect students.
Meanwhile, Opposition MP Premila Kumar questioned whether the Ministry would consider establishing an independent and confidential reporting mechanism that would allow students to report bullying directly to the Ministry without fear of retaliation.
Kumar says students may face further bullying if their complaints are not handled confidentially, while some may also be reluctant to report incidents for fear of offending school authorities.
In response, Radrodro says the Ministry is reviewing its existing policies to address the concerns raised.
Opposition MP Vijay Nath also asked whether the Ministry could provide Parliament with the total number of bullying cases reported this year, broken down between primary and secondary schools.
Another proposal was raised in Parliament for Fiji to consider introducing specific legislation to address bullying in schools, similar to the approach taken in Northern Ireland.
Radrodro says the Ministry is also considering establishing a national school safety and anti-bullying steering committee.
He says the Ministry wants to explore a system requiring schools to provide reports periodically to ensure timely reporting and better monitoring of incidents.
Radrodro says the Ministry will not rule out the suggestions raised in Parliament as it continues to review ways to address bullying in schools.
