'Be Nice' Programme Spares Thousands of Kids from Bullying
A teacher in Turku instructs students during an anti-bullying lesson.
Image: YLE / Vesa-Matti Ruuska
The “KiVa Koulu” anti-bullying programme prevented an estimated 5,000 pupils from being bullied last year in Finland. Kiva means ‘nice’ in Finnish, while koulu means ‘school'. About half of Finland’s schools signed up for the KiVa Koulu programme one year ago.
The project’s goal is to stamp out bullying in all comprehensive schools in Finland.
According to a study involving 30,000 pupils who took part in the programme, bullying in elementary schools declined by nearly 20 percent. In middle schools, bullying fell by nearly ten percent.
This autumn, 800 more schools are taking part in the programme. Now just one quarter of Finnish schools are not involved. The Education Ministry is urging all schools to participate.
“We are actively offering the programme, but we are not forcing anyone to take part,” says director Eeva-Riitta Pirhonen of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The Education Ministry says it is pleased with the results. So far, the KiVa Koulu programme has cost 4.6 million euros. It has also sparked interest abroad.
“It’s possible that we would begin selling programme licences to other countries. That would provide funding for the programme in Finland,” says Pirhonen.
YLE