SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Ministry of Education (MoE) | National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) | Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) | National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) | Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD)
The OECD working paper, Bullying in education: Prevalence, impact and responses across countries notes that bullying remains a critical barrier to inclusive, high-quality education and social cohesion . Based on PISA data, the paper introduces a bullying intensity index (ranging from 0 to 18) to capture the frequency and severity of experiences rather than just identifying victims.
Global estimates show that bullying prevalence varies significantly, with 20% of 15-year-olds in OECD countries reporting being bullied at least a few times a month. While average intensity decreased across most OECD countries between 2018 and 2022—likely due to pandemic-related disruptions—preliminary TIMSS data suggests a post-pandemic rebound.
The report highlights that socio-economically advantaged boys with an immigrant background face particularly elevated risks, and those experiencing intense bullying are at double the risk of chronic truancy. Furthermore, the "Healthy Context Paradox" indicates that mental health impacts are often more severe in environments where bullying is rare.
Key Pillars of Global Bullying Trends and Responses
The Intensity Index Approach: Moving beyond binary classification to a 0–18 scale that reflects a dose-response relationship: the more frequent the bullying, the more severe the mental health and academic harm.
The Integration Paradox: Identifying that higher levels of education and socio-economic integration can actually increase reported discrimination and bullying for immigrant students.
Cascading Individual and School Harm: Mapping the pathway from short-term anxiety and truancy to long-term social isolation, lower qualifications, and lifelong economic costs.
Whole-School Intervention (e.g. KiVa & OBPP): Utilizing comprehensive programs that involve teachers, parents, and bystanders to shift social norms rather than just punishing individuals.
Integrated Physical and Digital Protection: Recognizing the substantial overlap between in-person and online bullying, requiring responses that encompass both environments.
What is the “Healthy Context Paradox”? The Healthy Context Paradox describes a phenomenon where the negative mental health impacts on individuals who are bullied are actually exacerbated in environments where bullying is rare. At both the school and country levels, children in low-prevalence settings may be more visibly singled out, leading to intensified social isolation. This suggests that while universal prevention programs are essential for reducing overall rates, they must be rigorously complemented by targeted, intensive support for the minority who continue to experience bullying in “safe” environments.
Policy Relevance
As India works toward the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the OECD’s intensity-based approach provides a template for the Ministry of Education to transition from disciplinary actions to “System-Level Cohesion” in schools.
Mapping Risk in Urban Corridors: Applying an intersectional lens to India’s urban schools can help identify if a domestic “integration paradox” exists for internal migrants or marginalized groups in high-performing private institutions.
Expanding the SHe-Box Utility: The success of the SHe-Box for workplace harassment can serve as a model for a national digital reporting platform for school bullying, ensuring anonymous and safe pathways for students.
Formalizing Teacher Capacity: Institutionalizing specific “active management” training for teachers under the Skill India mission can reduce bullying prevalence by equipping staff with the confidence to intervene constructively.
Quantifying the Economic Loss: Utilizing the World Bank’s HCI+ and the OECD’s societal cost models, India can benchmark the long-term “forgone earnings” caused by bullying-driven dropouts to justify higher fiscal allocations for school mental health services.
Psychosocial Support Infrastructure: Leveraging the Manodarpan initiative and its national toll-free helpline (844-844-0632) to provide 24/7 counseling support for students facing bullying-induced mental health crises.
Follow the full report here: Bullying in education: Prevalence, impact and responses across countries