The anti-bullying law is completely unnecessary and should be rethought, the education council Onderwijsraad said in a report on Tuesday.

Junior education minister Sander Dekker said last March he would introduce an anti-bullying law, following two high-profile suicides by teenagers.

From the school year of 2015-16, schools will be required by law to take action to combat bullying.

However, the education council, which the minister asked to look at the plan, says schools already have a legal responsibility to provide a safe environment for their pupils, news agency ANP reports.

School councils VO-raad and PO-raad already said they are not in favour of the new law.

Schools should be allowed to deal with bullying in their own way and not have to adhere to a programme handed down from on high, they said.