2024-04-14 18:12:06
The first complaints from parents and students have already been registered on the new platform stop-bullying.gov.gr, launched by the Ministry of Education, as part of the campaign to deal with the phenomenon of school bullying and violence in schools. Quite a few, but fortunately not particularly serious incidents of school bullying and violence in Epirus.
In the national plan, which was announced by the leadership of the ministry, a New Operating Regulation of the schools is foreseen with clear rules of behavior and consequences for each misdemeanor, but also a signature of the parents that they have received knowledge.
Among the measures, is included the return of the five-day suspension for the students who practice bullying. In addition, the teachers’ association will be able to change a child’s department and, at the same time, it will become much easier bureaucratically to change the school environment. In cases where a student intentionally damages the school infrastructure, there will be an explicitly stated procedure so that the cost of the repairs will be borne by the student’s family.
Finally, with regard to the use of mobile phones, the club can impose suspension for up to five days depending on the severity of the incident, while in cases of recording sensitive personal moments of children, which should never be reproduced on the internet, then mandatory there will be an instant change of school environment.
Also, from September, through the new “e-parents” platform, the recording of absences is digitized, while the possibility of deleting absences at the end of the year is tightened. Specifically, it will be restored to the old regime and the 114 absences will no longer be unexcused, excused absences will also return, and the counting for lateness, while parents will be able to justify up to two days of absences and then a medical opinion will be required.
The relevant circulars for the measures announced by the Ministry are awaited by the Directorates of Education across the country, where incidents appear to be on the rise. “Episode could not be an exception”, noted the Regional Director of Education Marina Besi, stressing, however, that not many serious incidents have been reported in the Epistle Region.
When asked about this, Mrs. Besi noted that school communities do not rely only on complaints to deal with the phenomenon, but prevention and student empowerment programs are always carried out in schools, which may be intensified. At the same time, according to what has been made known by the Ministry, training programs are also expected for all those involved in the operation of the platform, so that they can handle the issues in the best way.
In the same context, according to what was announced, there will be actions within the school with changes in lessons and curricula, as well as a new framework of rules and habits. Specifically, the so-called active citizen actions are included in the schools, from kindergarten to the 1st Lyceum, which concern issues that have to do with how we work in groups, with how we develop voluntary actions in the context of our school, the our community, our city. These actions will even be linked to school trips.
It is worth noting that, according to Mrs. Besi, almost all school units are visited by a psychologist and a social worker once a week. Of course, both the directorates of education and the entire educational community would like to have permanent psychologists and social workers in every school unit, so that they know the students and the school environment.