Egypt cracks down on school ‘e-bullying’

Video mocking pupil crying for sleep triggers outcry among parents, rights activists

Egyptian authorities have punished several school workers found involved in shooting a video clip showing a boy crying for sleep in the class. The video, which went viral online this week, outraged many Egyptian parents and child rights activists, who decried it as tantamount to ‘e-bullying’.

In the footage, the sixyear-old child is seen crying while calling his class teacher a “Hajja” (a term referring to Muslim female pilgrims) and begging her to let him sleep for a while. The teacher appears in the video holding a stick. Caning is strictly prohibited in Egypt’s schools.

Investigations found that the footage had been shot by a teacher at a primary school in the Cairo suburb of Al Sahel on the first day of the new school year that started on Sunday. The boy was at school after he spent three months bed-ridden due to a leg fracture, according to his father.

“My son does not want to go to school again after knowing about the video, which has made him a laughing stock,” the boy’s father told a local television station. “We were surprised by the spread of the video on social media. This has caused us harm. It was his first day at school after a long illness. It was natural for him to cry. He addressed his teacher as a Hajja out of respect because she is an old woman,” added the father, identified as Ahmad Saleh.

The state National Council for Childhood and Motherhood condemned the video, saying it violates the country’s Child Act. “This video is considered a type of e-bullying against children and must be removed from the media,” the watchdog added.

Some parents have demanded that authorities take tougher action against school bullying.