Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to the House.

The issue I want to address today relates to the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, the union that represents national school teachers. Many of us will be familiar with the union's magazine, InTouch, that it sends us every month and which is very informative. As a result of reading an article in that magazine, it became obvious to me that the union had made a detailed submission on the issue of bullying and the need for continual supports for teachers, parents, guardians and children in and around this sensitive issue. I thank the president of the INTO, Ms Mary Magner, for her significant leadership in this area.

As the Minister of State will be aware, teachers and the INTO want to operate schools in a safe and inclusive environment for all their pupils regardless of their social background, race, self-identity or learning needs. As we are talking about schools and teachers, how they have supported and engaged in terms of getting schools back open during Covid-19 is something we need to acknowledge.

The reality is bullying exists in our school communities and is an issue for teachers, pupils, parents and the wider school community. The anti-bullying procedures for primary schools and post-primary schools were introduced in 2013. One issue the INTO leadership and members have is that there has not been a major review of this policy since 2013, and they are crying out for it. They believe they need the necessary supports and skill sets to deal with the complex issues. The complex issues are wide and varied, from LGBT+ based bullying to race-based bullying, all of which have a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of pupils and, for that matter, teachers. This has to stop.

Cyberbullying, as everyone in this House knows, requires no face-to-face contact. It can occur day and night, and happens day or night. It impacts on children, young people and adults, including teachers and politicians. It is something we need to deal with.

Something my research on this issue showed clearly was that children from Travelling communities are vulnerable to bullying, children who are black or identify as belonging to a minority ethnic culture are vulnerable to bullying, and children who are perceived as being different in the broader sense of different are particularly subject to bullying and harassment. Children whose mother does not have the native tongue, children in direct provision, and children who are black or from a minority ethnic group are all being targeted for bullying day in and day out in our schools and it has to stop. Racially based abuse humiliates and dehumanises the heart of our children and their identity and their ability to realise their full potential and be their authentic selves. It is clearly an issue.

The INTO also talks about the social, personal and health education, SPHE, for which there are only 30 minutes in the curriculum every week. That is an issue because this programme empowers, assists, enables and helps children to deal with conflict resolution, bullying and other issues around them. It is important that be examined.

Schools are also places of employment for teachers and they involve boards of management, parents and guardians. We hear terrible stories of teachers being subject to inappropriate behaviour from school management, colleagues and pupils. This behaviour can be in the form of words, gestures and publications, both in print and on social media. There are major issues and we need to support our teachers.

I do not doubt the Minister of State's support. Indeed, I am familiar with many teachers in Scoil Treasa, which is a school that is very close to where the Minister of State lives, and people speak of the Minister of State's enormous commitment to education. They speak of her enormous commitment to the INTO and her knowledge of the important work the INTO and its members do. I would like if the Minister of State could outline how we can come on board and support the INTO in this important call for it, for its members' employment, for teachers and for children.