“Bullying is an illness and it’s here to stay,” said Chile’s Education Minister Joaquín Lavín, after announcing the first bullying study’s results. The study, which was carried out along with this year’s SIMCE standardized testing system, assessed 225,027 tenth grade students in 2,658 schools.
Taken anonymously, the study consisted of a list of 26 questions. Results revealed 86 percent of students experience insults or teasing “sometimes or almost always.” Furthermore, 71 percent have seen fights in school, 69 percent have witnessed theft, and 50 percent admit bullying and threats in their school.
With regards to the 13,000 students reporting firearm assaults, the Education Minister said the most-affected schools are now a priority.
In order to address this issue, schools will be instructed to assign a teacher to hear cases of bullying and report issues to the ministry of education.
Schools will be given two months to establish a set of school harmony rules. The document will then be sent to the education ministry, having been signed by the principal, a representative of the parents’ board, and a representative of the student board.
A “contract of honor” will also be put in place with parents, encouraging them to talk to their children about bullying and highlight the importance of respect and harmony.
Furthermore, the education ministry will set up a team of psychologists in the most troubled schools in the country to speak with the students individually.
The study also detailed the regions most affected by bullying. The Tarapacá Region in the far north of Chile is at the top of the list, with 34 percent of 10th grade students describing frequent harassment. The Arica-Parinacota and Coquimbo regions follow with 32 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
In contrast, the southern regions have the lower levels of bullying. The Los Ríos Region had the lowest level of frequent bullying with 16 percent, and Araucanía and Maule regions both recorded a level of 17 percent.
Although Chile’s poorest regions showed relatively good results, bullying was highest in public schools (52 percent) in the low socioeconomic group (39 percent) and in the medium-low socioeconomic group (41 percent).
Minister Lavín announced that the government is currently carrying out a study into the relationship between bullying and drug trafficking, a major issue in the far north of the country. A questionnaire on drug sales and consumption will be included in the next SIMCE tests.
SOURCES: EL MERCURIO, LA TERCERA
By Phil Locker ( editor@santiagotimes.cl )
Copyright 2011 – The Santiago Times
