merrion street

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn today opened an Anti-Bullying Forum at the Department of Education and Skills, to explore ways to tackle the problem of bullying in schools.

This is the first time that the Department, together with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, has hosted a dedicated forum together with students’ and parents’ representatives, rights and anti-bullying activists, and other experts, to address this important issue.

The holding of this major forum co-incides with International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, whose theme this year is homophobic bullying.

Opening the Forum, Minister Quinn said:

Bullying is a problem which I take very seriously.  Bullying in school can ruin a young person’s enjoyment of some of the most important years of their life. In extreme situations it can also, tragically, lead to a young person taking their own life.

It is therefore my fervent hope that today’s Forum will provide us with the basis on which to develop a roadmap on how best to tackle all forms of bullying in our schools.

The agenda for the Forum sees presentations from a variety of key interest groups.  There is also the opportunity for broad discussion from all attendees in the afternoon session.  Members of the public can make submissions by email to the Department at

up to the 29th June 2012. Details of the Forum and the format for submissions are available on the Department’s website

.

Alongside the Forum, Minister Quinn has established a Working Group on tackling bullying, including homophobic bullying, cyber bullying and racist bullying. The outcomes and recommendations from the Forum’s work will assist the Working Group in its deliberations.

Minister Quinn, Mark Caffrey, Equality Officer with the Irish Secondary Students Union and Mr. Tim Geraghty of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals spoke to MerrionStreet.ie at the forum earlier today: