Education Committee continues its discussion on School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health

Tomorrow’s discussion with the teacher’s representative bodies is the third of a series of committee meetings that will see relevant stakeholders come before the committee through to the beginning of July. Representatives will include the Irish Second-Level Students Union (ISSU); Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI); Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO); and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI).

Speaking in advance of the meeting, Cathaoirleach, Paul Kehoe TD, said: “At last week’s meeting the Committee discussed bullying and cyberbullying and the various issues that surround that topic. This week we get a chance to hear from the teachers. A teacher may be the first person to witness school bullying but as we learnt last week bullying today is less physical and more invisible as more and more can happen online”

The Cathaoirleach added, “The Committee welcomes the chance to hear from teachers on how we can work together to help and support the students, parents and teachers and look at ways of dealing with school bullying. Schools need to be a safe space for children, and teachers and schools need to have the knowledge, expertise, and resources to deal with school bullying effectively. The Committee and I look forward to tomorrow’s discussion.”

The meeting at 3:30 pm will be broadcast from Committee Room 4 of Leinster House.

The Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

You can view the meeting in Committee Room 4 on the Oireachtas website.

More information can be found on the dedicated Committee Webpage. Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.