Education opened 887 protocols for possible school bullying in the 2024-2025 academic year.

PalmThe Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, has announced that starting next academic year, schools will also have psychologists in the third cycle of primary school—fifth and sixth—to strengthen the early detection of emotional problems and cases of bullying. Until now, this work has been carried out in the secondary school stage. Vera explained this this Tuesday during the plenary session of the Parliament, in response to a question from Vox MP Patrícia de las Heras, about how the Government plans to end bullying among students.

Since the 2016-2017 academic year, schools have had a mandatory protocol in case of suspected abuse. According to data from the Education Ministry, during the 2016-2017 academic year, 420 protocols were activated for possible cases of bullying, while last year there were 887. Of these, approximately 20% are confirmed as actual cases of bullying. For Vera, this increase "doesn't reflect more violence, but rather better detection and greater confidence in the education system."

The minister has expressed his solidarity with the victims and their families, and has defended that "for a decade all centers have had a mandatory protocol to act upon any suspicion or communication of bullying", which is reviewed and updated periodically.

Preventive Care

The regional minister highlighted the incorporation of educational psychologists as one of the key measures to prevent and provide specialized care to cases of bullying. Until now, this position was already present in secondary schools, and this year there are 79 professionals spread across public and private schools. "Now we are taking a further step to detect emotional distress before it becomes chronic," Vera emphasized.