Parag cracks down on bullying

Nov 09, 2025 News

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…with launch of new digital reporting system

(Kaieteur News) – With a firm zero-tolerance stance on bullying, the Ministry of Education on Saturday launched a new Anti-Bullying and Anti-Violence Reporting System, giving students, parents, and teachers a safe and confidential way to report abuse and harassment in schools.

The new digital platform was unveiled during the Ministry’s Public Consultation on the National Anti-Bullying Policy, held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. The event brought together Education Minister Sonia Parag, Human Services Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, as well as parents, teachers, and students from across Guyana

In delivering the featured address, Minister Parag said that the new digital platform was developed to allow students, parents and staff to confidentially report incidents of bullying or harassment without fear of retaliation. “The platform streamlines communication between schools and the ministry, enabling timely investigations and appropriate intervention while maintaining the privacy of all individuals involved. Its goal is to promote accountability, encourage a culture of respect and strengthens overall well-being of students. So today I am proud to announce the launch of that particular online platform that will allow the reporting mechanism to happen and happen in such a way that it is confidential and the privacy is intact to secure whether it is the student, the teacher or parents,” she announced.

Addressing the problem of bullying in the education system, Minister Parag mentioned that when she first took up the portfolio of Education Minister, she was met with several reports of bullying at schools.

“I said publicly that we will have a zero-tolerance approach not only as the Ministry of Education but as a Government of Guyana in relation to bullying,” she stated. In terms of taking steps to eradicate bullying at schools, Parag mentioned that there have to be a mental shift, a mindset shift to change this issue. “Bullying is by no means right in any form. We must take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying.”

In her remarks, minister stated that in tackling the issue, the Ministries of Education, Human Services, and Home Affairs are key to ensuring that safety in schools are paramount. Moving forward, she said that the three ministries will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that they see the fruits of this labour.

Additionally, she mentioned that including the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the four agencies together will establish a task force to ensure that they have a structured approach to addressing the problem.

“But moving forward, let’s talk about bullying, and if we are going to have a national consultation and conversation, it has to be a frank conversation on this topic. It cannot be sugar-coated, cannot be glossed over because that is the only way that we will be able to come up with real policies and real recommendation and suggestion that even at some point contribute to a legislative change for bullying in schools,” she related.

The minister mentioned that currently, Guyana has a Juvenile Justice Act of 2018 that only speaks to the age of 14 years and up, but according to the minister, bullying does not have an age to it since it happened in many forms. Bullying she disclosed, creates a deep psychological wound in someone’s mind that leads them to suicide and depression, and a dark place “where us as adult can’t help them.”

Eradicating this, Minister Parag said that is why the ministry decided to host this public consultation and have a frank conversation to find ways of a more balanced approach to the issue, looking at the social issues that would contribute towards children’s behavioural patterns and develop policies to address the problem.

During her remarks, she stated that in the coming weeks, they would be having more discussions with targeted groups on the issue. “With bullying, we can’t eradicate it overnight, but steps that we take and consistency is what it is. Consistency and persistence in what we do will ensure that we reduce it tremendously and that we produce wholesome individuals that we really want to see contribute constructively to society,” Parag said.

Kaieteur News understands that in the coming weeks, the ministry will be introducing Moral Education and Civic Education to the schools’ timetable. She added that education officials have already started working on the producing the curriculum for the new subjects which will soon be implemented. In her brief remarks, Human Services Minister stated that bullying cannot be tackled in a simple way but it must involve multi-sectoral and multipronged approaches to tackle its share complexities.

At the consultation, Minister Persaud underscored the wide range of programmes implemented by her Ministry through key departments, including the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit, and the Family Enhancement Services Section, all of which play vital roles in addressing bullying and related forms of violence. “For the last three years, we’ve been working in a coordinated and structured way, going into schools, engaging with students and teachers, and carefully examining behaviours to understand their root causes so that we can respond effectively,” Minister Persaud explained.

As a result of these efforts, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has developed a National Anti-Bullying Policy for Schools, copies of which she presented to her Cabinet colleagues on Saturday. The minister further emphasised that combating this social issue requires a multi-agency and community-driven approach, ensuring that interventions begin at home and continue throughout the school environment.

Meanwhile, Minister Walrond commended the Education Ministry for taking such an approach of hosting the public consultation and starting the conversation of tackling this social issue. “This issue of bullying in our schools is overdue; addressing it is overdue and essential. For generations, bullying has been underestimated but as our society and economy evolve its impact especially online has become more visible and harmful and more urgent to confront,” she explained. Noting that such an issue demands a practical coordinated and compassionate response, Walrond said her ministry view school safety as central to their mandate. That being said, she pledges her and the ministry’s and its agencies support to addressing the issue of bullying among schools.

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• abuse, bullying, digital reporting system, harassment, teachers

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