One particular case of cyberbullying of a teacher in 2010 called for the involvement of the Police Cybercrime Unit to fish out the students involved, Education Minister Dolores Cristina told Parliament yesterday.

Answering a question by Opposition Whip Joe Mizzi, she said that once the students responsible had been identified, a number of meetings had been held with the students and their respective parents. The students were later suspended for a number of days from St Albert the Great College until things had been ironed out.

The case had given rise toa wider, more sustainable process of education throughout the college on the issue of online safety and cyberbullying, involving both the college’s students and the parents.

Minister Cristina said that between 2008 and 2011 there had been 54 known cases of students bullying their teachers in primary and secondary schools.

In 2009 there had been two cases of teacher bullying by parents at Newark Junior School, Sliema. In one case the parents had been charged in court, but lawyers had resolved the other case.

Mrs Cristina said disciplinary steps had been taken in all cases.