mantra
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This is quite surprising. Maybe we're so used to it - we don't notice it that much. There was a lot of bitchiness at school in my day, but not bullying and my kids didn't experience any bullying either, thank goodness. It would be terrible to go to school every day and know that you were going to be tormented, hit and pushed around.
We're almost on a par with Kuwait. Says a lot for the people of this country.
A survey of schools in 36 countries has found that bullying in Australian primary schools is in the worst category in the world.
More than 25 per cent of Australian year four students said they had suffered bullying, according to the Trends In International Mathematics And Science Study.
The survey shows Australian primary school students suffer bullying at a rate of almost 50 per cent above the international average, putting Australia in the worst category for bullying.
Of the 36 countries sampled in the survey of year four students, only Kuwait, Qatar, Taiwan and New Zealand fared worse than Australia.
Almost 460 Australian schools took part in the study, which was produced by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
NSW Education Minister Verity Firth said she had strengthened principals' powers to deal with bullying, increasing suspension periods to 20 days.
"New South Wales schools are safe places and bullying and stealing are not tolerated," a spokesman for the Minister said.
However, Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW president, Dianne Giblin, called for strengthening of anti-bullying policies, saying the figures are of huge concern
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