School bullies warned

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School bullies warned

PORT MORESBY: Education Minister Jimmy Uguro has warned all that action will be taken against those involved in bullying in schools.

“There is no room for bullying in schools. The Government has done its part by providing free education so students should not misuse that opportunity or waste time into bullying each other but prioritise their studies,” he added.

Uguro was responding to concerns raised by some parents and guardians that there were some schools that did not realise that bullying was a seriously disciplinary matter that needed to be addressed immediately.

The news break was reported by The National:

No room for bullies

February 11, 2022The NationalMain Stories

By YVONNE KAMBIBEL
EDUCATION Minister Jimmy Uguro says there is no room for bullying in schools and such behavior should be condemned and weeded out.
He was responding to concerns raised by some parents and guardians that there were some schools that did not realise that bullying was a serious disciplinary matter that needed to be addressed immediately.
“All students have the right to education and should have equal opportunities to learn in school without being disturbed with such behaviors,” he said.
Uguro issued a strong warning that the Government had done its part by providing free education so students should not misuse that opportunity or waste time into bullying each other but prioritise their studies.
“Principals, teachers, parents and guardians have a duty to ensure that students have a high level of respect towards each other when they are in the classrooms and even outside the school premises,” he said.
Parents had approached The National to raise concern about this unaccepted behaviour and its devastating effect on an individual student’s physical and mental health.
Teaching Service Commission chairman Samson Wangihomie said: “Teachers and school administrations should look for patterns, get to the root of the issue and stop such bullying in schools as it is an illegal practice.”
Wangihomie said bullying was becoming a common practice in many schools, similar to cult movements that were widely practised by provincial and national high schools over the past years where certain traditions were being passed down from the seniors to the juniors.

School principal says administration will be tough on bullies

February 11, 2022The NationalNational

By LORRAINE JIMAL
MANUS Secondary School principal Alois Kilon says his administration will be tough on school bullies and get to the root of the problem.
“There have been minor cases of bullying in school, but such behaviour is unacceptable because every student has the equal right to be educated regardless of their background,” he said.
“We never had any serious issues here because we are strict on students, telling them that this behaviour is not allowed.”
Kilon was commenting on allegations of bullying in the school by parents who did not want to be named for safety reasons.
He said this year, the school received a total of K470,328.80 tuition fee free funds which went to three different payments – first payment was K111,447.20, second payment of K179,440.80 and the final payment was K179,440.80.
“The money would be used for operation costs and for the running of the school,” he said.
“We will try our best to use the money for operational costs alone and let the projects to meet its own cost.
“We have some projects to be implemented but they are yet to meet with parents and the provincial board for approvals.”
Kilon said more than 700 students enrolled this year.
He said the level 9 school, with 31 teaching staff including the headmaster, still needed at least two more subject teachers.

Officer: Schools must have counsellors to aid teachers, students

February 11, 2022The NationalNational

GUIDANCE teachers are not counsellors, Papua New Guinea Counsellors’ Association senior executive member Onnie Teio says.
“Schools should have trained counsellors who are always present in school to help counsel teachers and students when required,” she said.
Teio said counselling was recognised as a vital service in the western world but “it is very premature in Papua New Guinea”.
“Counselling is not the same as giving advice. Counselling is dealing with people’s emotions, their mental and physical status. It is about talking with them through their problems and helping them figure out a way to resolve the problem.”
Teio, who is also the owner of Dove Counselling Services, said there were many unreported cases of domestic violence and other forms of violence and incest in families and communities that affected many children.
“Being a senior counsellor and trainer with vast experience on counselling, I must emphasise how such violence can affect a child’s behaviour and academic performance,” she said. “Through my years of counselling, I have identified and provided counselling to many people who are perpetrators now because they had a rough upbringing.
“Many children suffer in silence, some commit suicide while the majority turn to drugs and alcohol.”
Teio said many were from broken and violent homes and had not received any form of counselling during their childhood.
“Many of these perpetrators that come to us for counselling were abused at an early age and were not aware that such practices were wrong and should be reported. There must, therefore, be more awareness in schools so that teachers, parents and students can take remedial measures,” she added.
Teio, who is also the owner of Dove Counselling Services, “Although education starts at home, not all parents and families will be able to mould and shape a child to be a better and productive citizen. Schools should be able to provide such services for students,” she added.

Official raises concern of overcrowded classrooms

February 11, 2022The NationalNational

By MICHAEL PHILIP
A primary school official in Port Moresby has expressed concern with overcrowding in classrooms as school academic year starts.
Ted Diro Primary School head teacher Margaret Gerari says student numbers have swelled to more than 2,000, causing classrooms to be filled with desks lined up from one end to another and little room for movement.
Gerari said the re-enrolment of students that had withdrawn last year because of the surge in the Coronavirus (Covid-19) was the main reason as these students were repeating their grades.
She said many parents withdrew their children in the first half of the school year as Covid-19 deaths started to rise.
She said some withdrawals followed the process while others did not.
Despite this, Gerari said the school prioritised withdrawn students ahead of transferring students.
However, this had led to predictable issues with space.
“The school population this year is now over 2,000 and we are facing overcrowding issues,” she said.
Gerari told The National that they had received their tuition fees subsidy from the Education Department and would use some of that money to build new classrooms.
She said with more than 50 students per class they were aiming to have around 40 per class with the addition of new classrooms.

She said more classrooms were needed for each grade.
She said this would also help ease the overcrowding in classes buy spreading the numbers over more classes.
“As the deputy I am not sure how much do we get from the education department but I am sure we have received roughly over K100,000.

“Because we are overpopulated common issues like bullying, teasing and provoking each other is most likely to happen like the previous years.”