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Dispatch → Factbook → Politics
Secretary of Education holds press conference regarding recent complaints regarding alleged abuse of students.

The Press Secretary walks to the podium with a grim expression, the time is 9:29pm on a Wednesday night, and neither the press nor the Press Secretary seem at all impressed or enthusiastic about being woken to cover this press conference at such a late hour.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I do apologise for the late hour, however the secretary felt that this issue warranted an immediate response now that she has found out about it. We'll try and make it as fast as possible, but please give your full attention during this briefing."
She nods as a woman with black hair in a messy bun and a professional, albeit rumpled attire steps up behind her. "The Secretary of Education, Bianca Walsh." She steps back as the other woman steps up to the podium.
"Thankyou all for agreeing to be here on such short notice, I recognise that you are all taking time away from your own personal lives in order to cover this briefing, so I'll try and keep this short whilst still giving you and the Westerosi public the knowledge and reassurance they deserve.
Early today, around 4:30pm, I received a notice from my personal secretary pursuant to a request for a meeting from a parent of a child going to a school in one of our primary schools in the Pragia province of N27.
Whilst it is not unusual to get requests for meetings from parents or even pupils, these matters are usually not serious enough to warrant the attention of the Secretary of Education. I deal in the general outline, the guidelines and targets for each province and suchlike, and the education system handles the specific, such as individual cases of pupillary discipline, investigations of student or parental rivalries, school property damage and the like. However, something highlighted in this complaint prompted my personal secretary to escalate the matter directly to my desk. A situation so concerning, so egregious, that it has prompted a response from the highest level of the Department of Education.
What was it, that was attached to this meeting request, that prompted such a response? An audio file, taken from the listening device planted in a young boy's backpack, that a concerned mother had placed there to investigate what was going on in her son's educational life. The concerned parent had believed her son to be getting bullied or experiencing some kind of negative impact on his health or mental health at school. The reality was much worse.
After reviewing the audio logs for the 3 days the listening device was active, the pupil's mother had discovered that not one, not two, but four of this young man's teachers were abusing him, verbally, mentally, and in one case during these recordings, encouraging other students to do physical bodily harm to this boy... Whilst an investigation must still be completed regarding this matter under the law, I am certain that these audio files will substantiate the claims made by the aggrieved parties, and after calling an urgent cabinet meeting this evening, I have referred these documents and additional information pertinent to the location and identities of the relevant parties to my colleage in the Department of Justice and to the Governor of Pragia.
I have also spent time tonight with the DoE's financial team, and activated emergency funding from my department's budget, wherein I will be establishing the first Westerosi Educational Oversight Investigation Committee, and in light of this distressing occurrence, I have ordered that a federal inquiry take place independent of the legal investigation handled by the police.
The Educational Abuse Royal Commission will encourage and empower parents, students and other members of staff to speak up about incidents they have witnessed or experienced abuse in our education system, and will be spearheaded by Deputy Secretary Natasha Albright. The people, parents and pupils of N27 can rest assured that no stone shall go unturned, and no complaint will go unchecked from this day forth.
The Department of Education does not, and will never, stand for bullying in any capacity in a school environment, nor by any individual, whether it be student, staff or member of the public. We do not encourage it, we do not condone it, and I promise, we certainly will not be allowing it.
Any questions can be directed to the Westerosi Educational Oversight Investigation Committee or submitted to my office staff for response. I will not be taking questions at this time."
Secretary Walsh steps away from the podium as reporters and journalists, now wide awake and paying full attention, clamour and yell for the Secretary's attention. She continues walking as the Press Secretary returns to the podium, "Thank you all very much for coming in, as the Secretary stated, any question should be directed to the Oversight Committee or to her office directly. That concludes tonight's press conference. May you all have a pleasant night." She collects the papers and folders from the podium and walks out after the Secretary.