President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday called for a nationwide effort to fight against campus bullying, urging teachers and parents to work together to eliminate the problem.
Speaking in his weekly online video prior to International Children’s Day tomorrow, Ma said campus bullying was a social issue that everyone should make an effort to eradicate.
“School administrators must take the initiative to identify bullies, handle the issue quickly and offer a public explanation of their actions. Schools should not be afraid of revealing skeletons in their closets,” he said.
Photo: CNA
Campus bullying raised public concern recently after incidents were reported in schools across the nation.
Major bullying cases on campus, including a case in Bade Junior High School in Taoyuan County in which students were found detonating firecrackers in a toilet to scare teachers, and in a Hsinchu City junior high school where a female student was beaten up by a group of senior high school students, prompted the Ministry of Education to establish a new mechanism to tackle the issue.
Director of the Ministry of Education’s military training division Wang Fu-ling (王福林) and Child Welfare League Foundation deputy director Chiu Ching-hui (邱靖惠), who were invited by Ma to discuss campus bulling in the video, suggested that students who were the victims of bullying should have the courage to seek help from friends, teachers or parents.
“Tolerance will not help. Victims should talk to someone they trust. The problem can be solved if you seek help,” Chiu said.
Wang suggested that students with problems related to campus bullying talk to teachers or parents, or call the ministry’s 24-hour hotline at 0800-200-885 for help.
Ma said schools should focus more on moral education and pay greater attention to the interactions of students to prevent bullying.
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