Two-thirds of teachers bullied at school

ALMOST two-thirds of second-level teachers claim to have been bullied in their schools, and the problem is getting worse, the ASTI conference heard yesterday.

School principals, boards of management, students, parents and even other teachers were among the bullies, delegates were told.

The problem was described by west Cork delegate Anne Loughnane as “widespread, sustained and insidious”.

A Millward Brown IMS survey, carried out on behalf of the 17,500-member ASTI, found that 61% of teachers had experienced work-related bullying; 67% said they had suffered verbal abuse, and 9% said they had been physically abused.

A detailed report on the survey was presented to the conference in Killarney, which also adopted an anti- bullying charter, with a demand that it be displayed in all school staffrooms.

There were also calls for policies to deal with new forms of bullying carried out through text messaging and the internet.

ASTI assistant general secretary Pat King said the main hazards for teachers now were non-physical, such as stress and bullying.

It was essential, he emphasised, that stress and bullying appeared in school safety statements.

Where schools had such a policy, there was a 30% reduction in bullying and victims were 50% more likely to get support from a school principal, or management, Mr King said.

But he also cautioned teachers against the overuse of the term ‘bullying’.

Sligo delegate Kieran Christie said the problem had got worse since the last survey in 1999, despite an increased level of awareness of the problem.

“Some teachers have left their jobs, or taken early retirement, to escape bullying,” he said.

“Some school principals abuse their position of power and influence boards of management.”

Mr Christie also said sexual harassment was on the rise, with 13% of respondents saying they had been harassed in such a way.

Carbery delegate Anne Loughnane called on the union to be proactive on bullying, which she described as a “toxic issue” that affected the whole outlook, life and relationships of victims.

She said teachers could be bullied in relation to school timetables, attendance at courses and could be deprived of basic resources in the classroom.

Dublin South delegate Philip Irwin attacked the “sectarian, authoritarian style” of some school management and those who, he said, believed they were always right just because they happened to be religious.

He expressed disappointed that the ASTI was not going far enough to deal with the bullying of teachers.

As well as adopting an anti-bullying charter, conference also endorsed a detailed list of recommendations covering school policies, complaints on bullying, school discipline and training.