One in ten primary school pupils bullied every week

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Around ten per cent of Finland’s primary school pupils are bullied at least once a week, reveals a survey, in which over 7,000 3rd to 5th graders from different parts of the country were interviewed.
      Furthermore, 16.3 per cent of the pupils are bullied repeatedly, in other words 2-3 times per month, the survey establishes.
     
"Naturally the figures are alarmingly high", estimates one of the compilers of the study, professor of psychology Christina Salmivalli from the University of Turku.
      "After all, nationwide this translates to tens of thousands of pupils being targeted with bullying."
      This is the first time bullying at the lower levels of the comprehensive school system has been mapped out in such depth.
      The survey is part of the Kiva Koulu (Nice School) project financed by the Ministry of Education, the purpose of which is to find measures to reduce and prevent bullying.
      Bullying in the higher levels of the comprehensive school has been more widely studied. According to the latest school health inquiry from last spring, bullying has become slightly more common. Eight per cent of the 8th and 9th graders are targeted with bullying at least once a week. In the preceding study the figure was seven per cent.
     
According to Salmivalli bullying at schools is slightly more common in Finland, compared with, say, Sweden and Norway, even though completely comparable surveys do not exist.
      Minister of Education Sari Sarkomaa (National Coalition Party) says that as far as bullying in schools is concerned, the objective is zero tolerance. "The Kiva project is extremely comprehensive. Hopefully by the year 2009 we will have effective practices in use to eliminate bullying totally."
      Sarkomaa emphasises the importance of the supplementary educating of teachers as well as the cooperation between home and school. "The inclusion of parents and guardians is a must."
      Some measures against bullying, including for instance an anti-bullying computer game and a guidebook for parents, are being tested with the 4th to 6th graders in 39 different schools around the country.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  School bullies prime candidates for crime and mental problems as an adults (4.9.2007)

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