By Gemma Simpson, 10 April 2007 16:42
NEWS
Video-sharing sites such as YouTube have a "social responsibility and moral obligation" to stop the online harassment of teachers, according to a government minister.
Education Secretary Alan Johnson said the providers of video-sharing sites need to take firmer action to block or remove offensive school videos in the same way pornographic content has been cut from such sites.
Speaking at a conference for the NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers), Johnson said: "New powers allow teachers to confiscate mobile phones which film them maliciously but I believe there is a wider responsibility upon the providers of the sites which broadcast this material."
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Johnson added: "The online harassment of teachers is causing some to consider leaving the profession because of the defamation and humiliation they are forced to suffer."
The Department for Education and Skills announced new powers for teachers earlier this month to allow them to confiscate mobile phones from pupils using them in a "malicious or disruptive way".
Comments
There are 7 comments. Join the discussion
1. Roger Huffadine
Who is going to 'police' this cyber-bullying in schools? We know it happens but to enforce any sensible system of monitoring would need a full time 'police techie' to sift the gigabytes of material passing through a school daily. I haven't heard any minister saying "....and each School will get an extra £18,000 per year to fund this activity". So - guess what -only the worst cases that are persistent and obvious will be dealt with and the rest will just continue unabated.
2. Guy Reynolds
The kids are just following the government's lead.
After all it was this labour government who started naming and shaming people by publishing their names and photographs without due process.
What comes around goes around and if people in authority can't take cyber bullying then they should never have started it in the first place. Bullying is bullying whether it is done by a school child or the state, and the state must be the one to set the example.
3. Zakala
Interesting that he didn't mention the use of these technologies to bully other pupils, which is probably more of an issue.
Unfortunately the usual policy of filtering (or as one lay inspector demanded "turning off the internet") only hides the issue - the pupils still use the sites at home and are still open to all the attendant dangers and it becomes more interesting for being forbidden.
Ironically, in this case, what's needed is more education, both for the teachers and for the pupils.
4. Ruth
Perhaps the govt minister could have given an example of what exactly he means by 'cyber bullying'? Sounds like more smoke and mirrors from someone who doesn't know what he's talking about (no surprise there then!).
5. A Proud Parent
I agree with Zakala that the answer here is education, but I don't think limiting this to children and teachers is adequate. The people who need educating are the parents who allow (or worse, who are ignorant of) their children doing this, the government and the do-gooders who keep removing teachers (and parents) rights to discipline the children.
a minority of children are brought up in an environment where they are confident enough to not need to resort to bullying, and are lucky enough to not be bullied themselves. The majority of children in this country either bully others or are bullied themselves - and often one leads to the other. While this situation persists, matters will only get worse.
We need to start by teaching parents how to be good parents, and teaching children some discipline. Then we can tackle bullying inside and outside schools.
6. Tim
Time to get tough - no mobile phones in schools. Period.
No Youtube in the UK until they agree to censor
7. N. Obleoxx
I totally support teachers...... it is a hard enough job to educate our children. Without having to put up with being posted on a website?
In any other form of employment you might be looking at a court case if it were the employers filming and posting such material on the web.
So in this case it is the pupils but that does not make it right.
One day some of the kids that do this sort of thing might look back and see how wrong they were in filming and posting their teachers antics....... I do hope so.
I accept there are good teachers and bad teachers, but it is not fair whichever way you look at it?
Maybe teachers should have CCTV during classes so that they can then make posts on a website to show the sort of behaviour they have to put up with day in / day out?
When I was at school (many years ago) teachers had, perhaps, a grudging respect from the pupils..... Even the bad ones (?)
As a parent, I would like to point out the often-positive effect many teachers have on the lives of our children....... I also remember that I was one once child and I can understand kids posting stuff because it appeals to them at their stage of mental development.
All that said……. If a child is bullied then it’s an outrage……. But if you film a teacher and post it up on the web then it is fair game…… no it is not.