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Govt to work with police to address bullying in schools
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The government is planning to work closely with the police to prevent bullying in educational institutions amid an increase in reports of harassment at school in recent months. (Shutterstock/-)
T
he government is planning to work closely with the police to prevent bullying in educational institutions amid an increase in reports of harassment at school in recent months.
A 14-year-old junior high school student in Temanggung, Central Java, set fire to his own school in June after allegedly undergoing extensive verbal and physical bullying by other students.
Late last month, an 8-year-old elementary school student suffered permanent damage to her right eye, allegedly after an older student poked her in the eye with a wooden skewer. According to the victim, the perpetrator attacked her because she had refused to hand him her pocket money.
Last week, a video showing a middle school student in Cilacap Central Java attacking another student went viral on social media, sparking public backlash.
The video showed one student punching, kicking and stomping on the other while about a dozen other students watched the incident and recorded it. The victim suffered a broken rib in the assault, and the police have named a 15-year-old suspect in the case.
The Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) recorded some 23 cases of bullying in schools across the country this year, 50 percent of which took place in middle schools.
"One elementary school student and one junior high school student have died this year following physical assaults from their peers," FSGI secretary-general Heru Purnomo said in a statement on Monday.
