Three cases reported to KHDA

Only isolated incidents of bullying in schools have been reported to the authorities, officials have said.

"There have been only three reported cases of bullying [in schools] that the Regulations and Compliance Commission [RCC] at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority [KHDA] has had to deal with in the past one year", Mohammad Darwish, who heads the RCC at KHDA, told Gulf News.

During the comprehensive schools inspection carried out by the KHDA, among other issues the inspectors were also asked to be on the look out for any evidence of bullying.

"Isolated incidents of bullying were identified in a minority of schools", Jameela Al Muhairi, the Chief of Dubai Inspection Bureau of KHDA, acknowledged.

How well a school protects and supports its students is one of the components of the assessment of the schools by KHDA. The inspectors talk to students during class and meet them as a group to discuss behaviour in school. Further, they check discipline records and the comments of parents received through questionnaires to get a complete picture.

Most schools responded quickly and involved parents to help resolve the bullying incidents as they arose. Schools were effective in managing such incidents, Jameela said.

Based on inspection findings from last year and this year, the attitudes and behaviour of students were a strong and positive feature of most schools in Dubai, Al Muhairi said.

"In general, students demonstrate a positive approach to their learning and relate well to their peers and to the teaching staff who work with them", she added.