The Opposition education critic wants to know what action is being taken to address an alarming rise in violence in the classroom.

The teachers’ association last month outlined a rise in the average number of incidents—from bullying to beatings to biting—to almost 30 a day from 20.

Paul Dinn questioned Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell in the House of Assembly on what’s being done to address the problem.

Minister Howell says one of the ways identified during the Teachers’ Think Tank was to increase the number of student assistants in the classroom, with $3 million allocated in the budget to hire an additional 104 student assistants.

Dinn says violent incidents have increased 40 per cent over last year, with nearly 1,000 incidents recorded in just 38 teaching days “this requires action now.” He asked, “This minister, is she listening? Or will we see actual action?” Minister Howell says “violence of any form in our schools is unacceptable…but the solution is multi-faceted.” She says the Department of Education wants to make sure that “students who have complex needs receive appropriate supports…and address..unrelated instances of aggression in the classroom.”