Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. A couple of things struck me. Sometimes when we discuss bullying we are talking about it after the horse has bolted. Could I hear the witnesses' thoughts on being more creative about the value system mentioned by Dr. Noctor and empathy education? Some other countries are considering implementing education that does not involve having everyone of the same age in the same space at the same time. That creates a type of competitiveness that can drive this because everybody is at probably the same level of maturity trying to deal with something. There are a couple of adults there who they probably do not react to in the same way as they would to a slightly older child. Is there something we can do in our schools? I come from a non-traditional background in terms of home schooling, but it is worth looking at the school system and considering if we took down all the walls from it and decided not to try to bolt on something about bullying but to look at it from a different perspective. What are the witnesses' perspectives on that? What we can do at the start rather than afterwards?

The numbers in home education have also increased. Based on my experience in the past, half of those who dropped out of school wanted to do so but the other half were those who had extreme bullying and traumatic experiences. That is the half we can deal with. We have seen that increase and now there is an opportunity to see how the school system can be better placed to support children who want to stay there.

Those are a couple of points on which I wish to hear the witnesses' thoughts. The point about a democratic approach to dealing with bullying mentioned by Dr. Noctor is very interesting, as well as how to empower students in a way whereby they do not feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of having to deal with something.

On the issue of cyberbullying, all of us, as adults, have probably witnessed it as bystanders and not known how to deal with it. An education for our children will probably make us healthier and stronger adults as well when we come out of that school system.