Bullying will not be “allowed or tolerated” in Bermuda public education, Diallo Rabain has said.

The education minister highlighted alleged harassment of students on the basis of religion.

Mr Rabain was responding to a February 1 statement by the activist group Social Justice Bermuda calling for an end to compulsory worship in the island’s schools.

In its statement, SJB alluded to “isolation, harassment and bullying of those students who are not Christian or theists” as a result of school-sanctioned religion.

The group charged that such acts were “often led by teachers and principals” in the context of religion.

The statement did not single out specific examples of mistreatment.

But Mr Rabain called for “every student, their guardians and parents, as well as school staff, to report any instances of bullying and harassment experienced by students regardless of the basis of that bullying or harassment”.

Mr Rabain said policies were in place to deal with cases of bullying, and that neither students nor staff would be victimised “with impunity”.

He added that the Department of Education's student code of conduct mandated a “positive school culture”.

Mr Rabain said the ministry was focused on comprehensive education reform, to give the island’s student “a first-class education”.