—Final round of talks clears way for new school safety procedures, policies

GUYANA is moving one step closer to creating a comprehensive standard operating procedure or policy for tackling bullying as the Ministry of Education’s nationwide anti-bullying and anti-violence consultation campaign came to a close on Tuesday in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).
As Minister of Education, Sonia Parag recently shared, the completed consultations, along with other data gathered on bullying, will pave the way for the development of new standard operating procedures aimed at creating safer school environments across Guyana.
Launched in November 2025, the campaign involved teachers, students, religious leaders, civil society representatives and residents from all 10 administrative regions.
Following the conclusion of the consultations, the ministry will compile recommendations gathered during the meetings, along with feedback submitted through a recently established reporting app, before meeting with a multi-agency task force comprising representatives from the Ministries of Human Services and Home Affairs, among others.
The initiative forms part of the Government’s broader response to growing concerns about bullying, school violence and cyberbullying, issues that President Dr. Irfaan Ali has described as increasingly alarming within the education system.
CONSULTATIONS
Giving a public update on social media, Minister Parag shared that following months of consultations across all of Guyana’s regions, Tuesday saw the final talks held with educators, parents, students and other stakeholders.

As she shared, “We would have held a public consultation with different segments or sections of society, consultation after the first one into the various regions,” she said. This is the ministry’s final consultation and represents a new step in the government’s anti-bullying and anti-violence campaign.
As Minister Parag further added, the next stage will see the ministry gather further recommendations and suggestions through the ministry’s anti-bullying reporting system launched earlier this year.
Speaking on the information gained from the consultations, Minister Parag shared that the talks have been productive, giving the ministry insight into steps that can be taken and policies that can be drafted to stop violence and bullying in schools.
As she shared, “We will be seeing a lot coming out of these consultations in how we plan to ensure that schools are safer, that our youths and our population are in an environment, in the school environment, in which it’s conducive to learning rather than fear, ensuring that we are going to have the best possible environment for our students,” she added.
“We would have held a public consultation with different segments or sections of society, including religious leaders, teachers and civil society,” she said.
Moreover, the ministry will be collaborating with other ministries to take a united approach to the issues of bullying and violence in schools.
As the Education Minister shared, a task force comprising various ministries will be consulted on the next steps and creating a strategy.
“We are going to sit down with the multi-agency task force that we had set up with the Ministry of Human Services, Ministry of Home Affairs, and other relevant ministries and agencies and then come up with our strategy for ensuring that we place into schools at least standard operating procedures or policies,” she said.
NEXT STEPS
Minister Parag also highlighted other steps being taken by other ministries to combat bullying and violence among Guyana’s youth, citing the recent national consultation aimed at developing a framework to address the harmful impact of social media addiction on children, held by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira.
The anti-bullying campaign forms part of a wider government effort to address rising levels of violence, indiscipline and cyberbullying in schools.
Recently, President Ali disclosed that incidents of misbehaviour had been recorded in 353 schools across Guyana, describing the situation as “alarming” and requiring a coordinated national response.

Region Four accounted for the largest share of reported cases, followed by Regions Six, Three, Five and Ten, with higher levels of challenges reported at Diamond Secondary, Soesdyke Secondary, East Ruimveldt Secondary, Canje Secondary, Bartica Secondary and the Linden Foundation Secondary School.
The President identified cyberbullying, gang activity, vaping and other forms of substance abuse among the factors contributing to behavioural challenges within schools. Moreover, he noted that online harassment often extends beyond social media platforms and can lead to confrontations and violence among students, creating an environment that is not conducive to learning.
In response, the Government will begin rolling out several interventions aimed at strengthening student welfare and school safety.
These include expanded counselling services, greater collaboration among agencies, a standardised referral system for behavioural cases, increased school monitoring and investments in security infrastructure in high-risk schools.
The administration has also stressed that addressing bullying and violence cannot be left to schools alone.
Parents, religious organisations and community leaders have all been encouraged to play a more active role in guiding young people and helping to foster positive behaviour both online and offline.