There is no proper record of bullying incidents from previous years, as things were “less formal” and cases were “concealed” for fear of giving schools a bad name, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said on Monday, presenting the five pillars of the action plan for the new national strategy against bullying.

Speaking at a press conference, Michaelidou said safe schools were the concern of both students and teachers, and that her ministry placed the prevention and tackling of violence and delinquency high in its priorities.

The strategy, running from 2024 till 2028, places a comprehensive approach at its centre, aiming at strengthening the active participation of all those involved in preventing and addressing violence and delinquency, creating a safe school environment, that will promote cultural inclusion and the cultivation of social skills, with the participation of the teaching and student communities, as well parents and guardians, she said.

To achieve this, an action plan with five pillars has been drafted, the minister said.

Michaelidou added that programmes and actions were already in place to promote empathy, the management and reduction of bullying incidents and the respect of diversity.

The previous strategy was in place since 2018 and in November 2024 the new one was approved by the cabinet.

The minister said the first pillar aimed at securing a safe and inclusive school environment, the second promoted education and the empowerment of teachers, parents and guardians against bullying, and the third focused on education and empowering children.

The fourth, she said, involved monitoring and policy implementation mechanisms, as well as recording incidents of violence, and the fifth promoted the creation of alliances with other organisations and services.

In drafting the strategy, many parameters were taken into account, including best practices, UN and European guidelines, and the findings of a study conducted from 2019 till 2024.

Replying to questions, Michaelidou said there was no concrete data on bullying as there was no specific way of recording them over previous years, however the new strategy laid out procedures for recording incidents on many levels.

Since the new strategy was launched, dozens of incidents have been recorded, some mild and some more serious, the minister said.

She added that the strategy included cyberbullying, for which there were special provisions, a helpline and an anonymous complaint line.