Discrimination and bullying in school
Recommended measures (2)
29. In the light of the Committee’s general comment No. 1 (2001) on the aims of education, and target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals on ensuring that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, the Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Increase its efforts to implement a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination on the grounds of race, migration status, sexual orientation or gender identity in the school context and expand the scope of that approach to include private schools and by ensuring recurrent training for all school staff members on equality and gender identity and addressing all forms of discrimination, as well as civic instruction for students on the importance and methods of combating and reporting instances of discrimination. The State party should also develop a new plan of action for promoting gender equality and preventing discrimination on the ground of ethnicity.
(b) Continue its efforts to combat bullying and raise awareness of its harmful effects, with particular emphasis on the prevention of cyberbullying and on how children can defend themselves against cyberbullying, introduce mandatory elements into school curricula at all education levels on tolerance for diversity, non-violent conflict resolution skills and the judicious and safe use of the Internet, further build the capacity of teachers and school personnel in that regard and ensure that schools conduct special information sessions for parents on those issues.