Bridgetown.
Elminating bullying is a project which needs a collaborative approach on the part of the home, school and community.
This was the underlying message sent by Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, as he addressed a prize-giving ceremony of the Barbados Government Information Service and United Nations Children’s Fund (BGIS/UNICEF) poster competition on bullying, at the Island Inn Hotel.
Noting that the school should be an oasis – a place of peace allowing for the development of self-esteem, self-actualisation, friendships and relationships, Minister Jones said: “All of us have to be committed to the project…the reduction of bullying in our schools and ultimately the elimination of bullying in our schools.”
Stressing that this, however, had to start with strong education within our homes, he noted that the majority of our young people were reasonably self-actualised and disciplined but there were some who created a threat to others, and others who, because of so many other issues that they faced, tended to reach out to harm others.
While urging persons to inculcate a “ripple of concern and care” into our children, he said that at the level of the Ministry, there was zero tolerance towards bullying. Explaining that it was extremely harmful, he pointed out that Ministry personnel had, at times, witnessed the extent of this on some children who either experienced withdrawal or had to be moved from school to school to “find that oasis for that child to learn”.
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