THE Ministry of Education is intensifying efforts to tackle bullying, improve students’ mental health and encourage safer use of social media.
Education Minister Sonia Parag, in her appearance on the Starting Point podcast on Monday, said the initiatives form part of a broader strategy to create healthier learning environments across Guyana’s schools.
Parag said the ministry remains focused on improving academic performance while placing equal emphasis on students’ emotional and social wellbeing. She stressed that children cannot reach their full potential if they do not feel safe at school.
The minister acknowledged that incidents of bullying and violence have increased, describing the issue as one that requires urgent and sustained intervention.
“We can’t hide from the fact that there has been an increase in bullying and violence,” Parag said.
She said that bullying can have lasting effects on students, contributing to mental health challenges, disrupting learning and affecting a child’s ability to progress academically.
According to the minister, children who are subjected to bullying or violence often struggle to concentrate in the classroom and may experience emotional distress that follows them beyond school.
She related that bullying and violence could contribute to greater mental health challenges among children and prevent them from progressing academically as they otherwise would.
Parag added that the ministry is determined to prevent situations from escalating into more serious incidents.
She said, “Of course, we don’t want any worst-case scenarios.”
To address the problem, Parag said the ministry will continue implementing its anti-bullying and anti-violence campaign, which seeks to educate students, teachers and parents about recognising, preventing and responding to bullying.
She also disclosed that policies are being developed for implementation in schools to provide clearer guidance on preventing and addressing incidents of bullying and violence.
According to Parag, the introduction of these policies represents the first step in establishing a stronger framework to safeguard students’ welfare and ensure schools are equipped to respond appropriately when incidents occur.
The minister said the ministry also plans to introduce new social media measures aimed at promoting healthier online habits among children.
She noted that while technology offers educational benefits, children must also be protected from the harmful effects that excessive or inappropriate social media use can have on their development and mental wellbeing.
“We also have the launch of the social media measures that we’re looking at for our children, which we believe is something that will be more beneficial to our children and allow our children to be children in their age and their space, so that they will become good human beings,” Parag said.
The Education Minister said the ministry’s objective is to ensure that schools are places where students feel secure, supported and able to develop academically and personally.
She stressed that while government investments have contributed to improvements in educational outcomes, student well-being remains equally important, and the ministry will continue implementing programmes that support children’s mental health, safety and overall development.
The minister said creating safe and inclusive learning environments is essential to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed, adding that the ministry will continue working with schools, teachers and parents to foster positive school cultures and reduce bullying and violence across the education system.
The ministry is expanding its anti-bullying and anti-violence campaign while developing policies to guide schools in preventing and responding to such incidents.
The government established a dedicated Anti-Bullying Reporting System where students, parents, and teachers can securely and anonymously report incidents of physical, verbal, or online bullying.
The government has also launched a national consultation involving a range of stakeholders to develop a framework to address the harmful impact of social media addiction on children.