Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 January 2024
355. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to indicate to which his Department continues to monitor incidents of professional bullying throughout the higher education system; the extent to which bullying is evident in colleges throughout the country; the action taken or being taken to counter this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2345/24]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that there are a number of Programme for Government (PfG) commitments aimed at addressing bullying, including a commitment to commission surveys of staff and students in the areas of harassment, sexual harassment, and bullying in higher education. These surveys have now taken place and the findings published.
Our higher education institutions have a duty of to ensure that staff and students have a safe environment to study and work; free from bullying, harassment or other forms of unwanted behaviour. Data from all institutions implementing Speak Out was published recently. The report presents highlights from an initial analysis of the aggregated data collected across 18 participating Higher Educations Institutions from October 2021 to October 2022. It provides insight into the key findings of 'Speak Out'- Evaluation of Speak Out Anonymous Reporting Tool pilot JULY 2023 (hea.ie)
In August 2022, I launched the findings of a Report on the National Survey of Staff Experiences of Bullying in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) conducted by the specialist DCU Anti-Bullying Centre. This report presents the findings of an anonymous online survey, commissioned by my Department, examining the prevalence and impact of workplace bullying among staff in 20 publicly-funded HEIs in Ireland. The survey of staff experiences of bullying in higher education was conducted in late 2021. A total of 3,835 HEI staff responses were analysed. The survey report includes a number of recommendations, which will inform future policy decisions to tackle workplace bullying within higher education institutions.
My Department in conjunction with DCU’s National Anti-Bullying Centre recently published the results of a national survey on student experiences of bullying in the higher education sector. The survey, commissioned by my Department, was conducted by researchers at the DCU Anti-Bullying Centre, and it was sent to higher education students in Ireland by their institutions. The online survey asked about the experiences of bullying among higher education students across Ireland. Respondents were asked to reflect on their experiences of interacting with other students within higher education institutions. The primary goal of the project was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of bullying among higher education students across Ireland. Insights from this study will be used to implement new or updated policies, processes, training and resources to support higher education institutions in addressing these issues.
I will continue to lead the way on institutional change, championing the changes required, listening to survivors and working in collaboration to achieve justice for victims and a cultural norm where bullying is not tolerated.
