Bullying in schools is rampant enough to warrant concern on the part of the authorities. The shocking case of a Primary 2 child being forced to cut his own tongue recently by a group of masked Year 3 children should be a wake-up call for the relevant education department. But, the mild reaction is disappointing. Prior to this, complaints must be lodged by parents to the Education Ministry, which is, admittedly, slow to react. Now, however, the ministry will hand over the standard operating procedure (SOP) on disciplinary issues to the state Education Department and district Education Office. Presumably, the rationale is that local education authorities will react faster. But, will the parents not face the same red tape that ties the hands of bureaucrats everywhere? Unless the SOP makes clear the procedure and assigns specific officers to deal with parental complaints, the lethargy cannot but go on.
Indeed, one wonders why the immediate handling of the problem is not left to the school. It is the school’s business to deal with their young charges and, too, the parents. Granted, clear guidelines must be issued to ensure that no heavy-handedness occurs. And, when the violence perpetrated is criminal, as in this recent case, then the police should be called in to investigate. After all, this degree of abuse puts the bullies in the category of delinquents, albeit juvenile. Then, there is the pervasive nature of bullying in schools which takes several forms: physical, racist, emotional, verbal, gesture, extortion and exclusion. And, when it occurs among very young children, it surely is possible for teachers to put a stop to it. On their part, parents must play an active role to guard against their children being bullied or becoming bullies. For the trauma caused by bullying could stay with the child into adulthood, manifesting itself in low self-esteem, among others. In America, there have been cases of shootings by bullied students taking revenge and some have even taken their own lives. As for the bullies, if not restrained, a future of crime seems likely.
Schools are, by definition, where parents leave children to be nurtured, made ready for a bright future, irrespective of whether the child is difficult, well behaved, clever or intellectually challenged. When a teacher’s ability to reprimand a child is severely circumscribed, he or she is undermined as soon as the bully realises the teacher is powerless. Agreed, corporal punishment should be relegated to obsolescence, especially in schools where reason, above all else, must prevail. It is best to assume that the bully can be counselled to mend his or her ways. That girls are no less inclined to intimidate others is proven, as demonstrated by a video that went viral on social media some months ago. A firm hand, is no doubt needed and, more importantly, the reason for bullying needs discovering. Psychologists are wont to suggest that violence begets violence. Under this circumstance, the home then needs correction so that a child may be spared time in a correctional facility; now or later is irrelevant.