Analysts associate bullying in Baku schools with low quality of education

The active bullying observed in Baku schools has to do with the poor quality of education and the state's inattention to the upbringing work with children, analysts have concluded.

On September 12, a trial began in Baku on the death of a 14-year-old schoolgirl. As established by her parents, the girl fell victim of aggressive peers' attacks; while school teachers knew about it, but failed to take any actions.

Every third pupil in Baku schools is harassed and persecuted, says the study conducted by the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA-2018) of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD).

In Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, 36% of interviewed pupils said that they were bullied by their peers for at least several times a month.

Azad Isazade, an expert at the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), indicated that children from poor families are more likely to be harassed by their peers.

Kyamran Asadov, the chairman of the NGO "Centre for Research and Analysis of Educational Services", attributes the increase of bullying in Azerbaijani schools to "a decline in the quality of education and poor work to encourage children to read fiction literature, which should develop spiritual culture in children."

Leila, a resident of Baku, spoke about her daughter's classmate who wore a hijab and was a shut-in person. Boys ridiculed her hijab and tried to rip it off, until the girl showed her readiness to commit suicide.

Peers ridiculed another Baku schoolboy, because he had a cheap mobile phone, his mother, Elmira, said.

The son of Rukhiya, a resident of Baku, was ridiculed at school because of his long hair.