The 13-year-old boy, who is with his little sister, feels there should be more supervision at school. He has been a victim of bullies before at the school in Ħamrun. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

A 13-year-old boy was queuing at the school tuck shop when three boys went up to him and started pushing him around and hitting him for absolutely no reason.

“They told me I skipped the queue but it wasn’t true. They do this all the time.

“They’ve bullied me before and they bully other children... Something must be done,” said the boy, who attends the Ħamrun boy’s secondary school.

But what can be done? Should the school expel or punish the boys who hit him, called him names and picked on him because of his dark skin?

Surprisingly the teenager replies: “We need more supervision at school and they need to understand why the bullies are doing that they do.”

All this seems to be in the pipeline as, a few weeks ago, the school started implementing a tailored programme that will tackle the school bullying, explained James Camilleri, the principal of San Ġorġ Preca College under which the Ħamrun school falls.

Optimistic we will start seeing changes

This programme will include better supervision and will target the behavioural problems of a handful of boys who were disrupting the school.

Mr Camilleri confirmed that, this year, the boy’s secondary school experienced an increase in problems brought about by these students – about eight of them - who were bullying other children, disrupting lessons, using vulgar language and disrespecting teachers.

“Many schools go through these moments. In the past, other schools needed this added support. The important thing is that we are taking action,” he said.

This was confirmed by George Borg, director general of the Directorate for Educational Services.

He said that after receiving various reports about the school, experts were sent in to analyse the situation.

“Whenever we feel there is a concentration of problems due to challenging behaviour – we go in,” he said, adding there were structures in place for such situations.

Last month, the government launched a new anti-bullying policy where it was confirmed that social problems were inflating reports of school bullying. Last year, 83 cases were reported to the Anti-Bullying Services by State primary schools, 74 from State boys’ secondary schools, and 36 from State girls’ secondary schools.

Mark Borg, a university professor in psychology of education, was tasked with facilitating the tailored programme for the Ħamrun school after speaking to students, teachers and parents.

The problems were focused in Forms 3 and 4 and involved some eight students with challenging behaviour. Form 3 was always a sensitive year for boys due to academic pressures and hormonal changes.

These students would be provided with the support they needed to address their behaviour, often manifested for a range of reasons that could include social ones.

A key person was assigned to each boy to follow them and identify their needs.

The programme, he said, also included increasing supervision and having a full-time counsellor and prefect of discipline on the premises.

Teachers were also being offered support though access to a psychologist.

“We are very optimistic that once we implement all measures we will start seeing changes... our priority is to help these students and the other children – whose life at school they make a bit harder – as well as the teachers,” Prof. Borg said.