Programmes to rein in school bullying are due to spread nationwide, says Education Minister Sari Sarkomaa. The KiVa-koulu (Fun School) project will be rolled throughout primary schools from autumn 2009.
According to Minister Sarkomaa, the goal of the Education Ministry is to have 1,400 primary schools enrolled in the programme between 2010 and 2011. The price tag for next year's phase of the project is 1.5 million euros.
The basis of the programme is a zero tolerance approach to bullying, and it provides schools with concrete tools for heading off the practice. Preliminary research results indicate a clear decrease in cases of bullying in pilot programmes.
The anti-bullying project was piloted in grades 4 to 6 initially. This year the programme will be expanded to other levels of primary schools.
