84% of teachers say they were bullied

A staggering 84 per cent of teachers have said they were bullied at their place of work, while 70 per cent witnessed others being bullied, according to a survey on bullying between and towards teachers.

The survey, Workplace Bullying and Harassment Among/Towards Schoolteachers, carried out by fourth-year university student Joan Ellul, points out that the physical and psychological health of teachers is suffering, and it highlights the need for legislation to prevent bullying and to protect bullied victims.

The results of the survey were based on 389 respondents - a response rate of 40 per cent - and 10 interviewees from government, Church and private schools.

The survey was carried out for Ms Ellul's thesis, in collaboration with the MUT and the Faculty of Education at the University.

The findings show that in relative terms, as many men are affected by the problem as women.

The majority of respondents (64 per cent) said they had suffered verbal abuse, while almost one-third (31 per cent) encountered physical abuse.

Eight per cent of respondents said they had been sexually harassed, mostly by colleagues.

Slightly more than half the respondents (52 per cent) reported that they have felt ignored, or deliberately excluded by another person, which was considered to be a form of bullying. The negative attitude was mostly adopted by the school head (in 47 per cent of the cases), followed by colleagues (40 per cent).

MUT president John Bencini said those in positions of authority had major responsibilities and lived up to them. However, there were, unfortunately, a few who abused their power.

An "intriguing" percentage of respondents (13 per cent) said they had experienced bullying behaviour at parent-teacher meetings, while more than one-third (36 per cent) said they had experienced negative, or aggressive use of body language. Most of the perpetrators in this case (49 per cent) were pupils, with a higher incidence in schools for boys.

Mr Bencini said he was concerned that 15 per cent of respondents claimed they had been intimidated because of their political/religious beliefs.

He also pointed out that 10 per cent felt they had been unfairly prevented from attending professional courses, or exceptional family events, while 13 per cent said they had been unfairly criticised for absence from work due to illness.

About 18 per cent said they had experienced excessive and unnecessary monitoring of their work mostly by the school head (57 per cent) - which was "not a small figure".

Anger and stress were the most common psychological and physical symptoms as a consequence of bullying experiences, followed by low motivation and, although very slight, even thoughts of suicide (almost one per cent).

About 92 per cent of respondents had raised the issue of bullying, mostly with family and friends, colleagues and school heads, but 51 per cent said their problem had never been solved.

Asked whether the MUT supported and protected bullied members, 26 per cent indicated that they did not know, which Mr Bencini found worrying.

The majority of respondents (90 per cent) said their school did not have a support system that dealt with adult bullying, while almost half (47 per cent) said it had a policy on bullying, which, according to 70 per cent of respondents, only addressed the needs of pupils.

Almost all respondents agreed on the need for protection from bullying at work through legislation.

Following pressure from the union, the government has set up, within the Foundation for Educational Services, a free psychological and psychiatric service for teachers who were traumatised through bullying, Mr Bencini said.

The idea of Workplace Bullying and Harassment Among/Towards Schoolteachers was born of a survey carried out in Ireland three years ago, which yielded identical results. It was also spurred by the many complaints that the problem of bullying was becoming more acute, Mr Bencini said.

The union was also insisting that the Education Division provided the services of a full-time lawyer. The MUT already offered a free legal service, but the government needed to provide it to, Mr Bencini said.