A school group in Limburg has called for a major investigation into the suicide of a 15-year-old pupil who had been bullied.

The family of the boy, named as Tharukshan Selvan, say the school had done nothing to help despite being alerted to the problem.

Frank Schings, head of the LVO Parkstad school group, says it is in the interests of everyone that the circumstances are properly looked into. ‘If we have made mistakes, we will admit them. We will also bring in an interpreter so we can speak to his parents, who speak no Dutch,’ he told broadcaster NOS.

The boy’s sister said on Facebook her brother had been the target of online bullying after the family stopped his allowance. He had been spending money on buying fast food meals and gifts for his classmates and they refused to pay him back.

‘They would throw food at him, insult his skin colour and appearance,’ the sister said. Messages were placed online telling him ‘you are not fit to live. We don’t want you. We’d be happy without you. Jump in front of a train. Commit suicide,’ the sister said.

Police

He first tried to kill himself seven weeks ago, at which point the police, school and council officials were involved. However talks with representatives of all three failed to produce results, the family says.

‘They asked him if he needed help and he said no,’ his sister said. ‘He’s only 15 and they just let him go.’

Schools are required by law to have proper anti-bullying strategy. The children’s hotline Kindertelefoon said last September that this had not let to a reduction in complaints about bullying.

According to national statistics office CBS, in 2015, 19 youngsters under the age of 20 killed themselves.