UAE Ministry of Education launches 4th National Bullying Prevention Week

Dubai - Throughout the week, trained educators and consultants will visit public and private schools and shed light on various issues on the subject of bullying.

The Ministry of Education is on Saturday launching the 4th National Bullying Prevention Week to raise awareness on bullying across the UAE in collaboration with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and in partnership with more than 28 federal and local entities.

Running until Saturday, November 21, the nationwide campaign is organised under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, FDF.

The campaign will address the phenomenon of electronic bullying among school students at various educational levels and teach them on how to deal with it and methods of prevention. It will also explain the relationship between Covid-19 and cyber-bullying, correct intervention methods, and the role of professionals in educational institutions in leading programmes to prevent bullying.

The event includes 54 virtual workshops for 64 educational institutions, targeting public and private schools and government and private higher education institutions as well. The campaign also targets parents, administrators, teachers, nurses, bus supervisors, drivers, cleaners, workers in school canteens and all members of society.

Sheikha Fatima emphasised that the UAE attaches great importance to child welfare and well-being by enacting legislations, issuing policies, establishing mechanisms and setting up systems and procedures to ensure a child's right to live in a safe environment and stimulate his or her physical, intellectual, emotional and social development.

"The concerted efforts of federal and local institutions and civil society to address the phenomenon of bullying and raise awareness about it underscore the endeavour of the country to ensure that the best interests of the child are above any consideration to protect his or her rights and guarantee his or her well-being and safety of growth," Sheikha Fatima said in a statement ahead of the launch of the event.

"During the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the world, changes have taken place that has had a profound impact on everyone, especially children, and with the application of the distance learning and the remote work system, we see the pivotal role that the internet plays in the continuation of the learning process. This makes us more alert to the phenomenon of bullying in the digital space."

Sheikha Fatima praised the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood Award for the Prevention of Bullying in Schools, which aims to strengthen efforts to provide a safe school environment for children.

She added that the "Fatima bint Mubarak Motherhood and Childhood Research Centre", based at the UAE University, aims to achieve the goals of the UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Centennial 2071 related to motherhood and childhood development, through creating a database of information useful in the decision-making process and improving national and international childhood indexes.

Jameela Al Muheiri, Minister of State for Public Education, affirmed that the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with its partners from various institutions, seeks to mobilise efforts to strengthen a noble value system for students in various public and private schools based on the inherent heritage of the UAE society.

The campaign serves the concepts and plans of the National Strategy for Motherhood and Childhood and enhances the well-being of students within the school environment as part of an integrated national effort undertaken by many federal and local institutions and bodies to distance the school environment from any negative aspects that affect the quality of educational practices followed in Emirati schools, she added.

Throughout the week, trained educators and consultants will visit public and private schools and shed light on various issues on the subject of bullying.