Bullying in schools leading to mental health issues
School management’s lack of attention continues to aggravate problem
PHOTO: PIXSHARK
ISLAMABAD:
Lack of attention from school management towards the rampant trend of bullying in schools and colleges is causing distress and mental health issues among students.
Students from both the government and private schools have complained of being bullied by their peers or even teachers but when they take their complaints to the management, their request for help goes completely ignored. Bullying is the least discussed social issue in Pakistani society. There are no studies on adolescent bullying in the country and so very little attention is paid to this sensitive issue.
NUML senior faculty member Attiya Zulfiqar said that bullying does not only affect the bullied child but it also highlights the insecurities of the child who bullies others. ‘We must not hate the bully as that child fights his/her own battles. They just have a different way of expressing their fears and anger,’ she added.
Bullying could threaten students' physical and emotional safety at school and could negatively impact their ability to learn and hinder their mental and personal growth, she said.
She suggested that there should be a psychologist on duty in every school to comfort the children in case they experience any kind of mental trauma, be it due to bullying or otherwise. ‘Some expensive private schools do have this facility for their students but government schools should also take this step into consideration,’ she added.
Private school student, 13 year old Hania Ali told APP about the immense mental pressure she often felt because of another girl's behavior towards her. ‘She often snatches my lunch or takes my books out of my bag. Upon complaining, my teacher told me to try to be friends with the girl instead of confronting her,’ she added.
Childhood memories shape a child's personality. Having some unwanted memory or incident often leaves an eternal mark on the child's consciousness and severely impacts his/her behavioural patterns.
Child psychologist Faiza Arsalan said that contrary to popular believe, the bullies are not just those ‘seniors’ in schools or colleges. They can be siblings, cousins, relatives and the worst, a teacher. She said many parents acknowledged if their child was being bullied, as opposed to teachers who children were less likely to talk to if they felt victimised.
However, analysis of a large-scale study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggested that the issue of bullying was significantly under-reported by both parents and teachers. One in three children aged 10-11 years old report being picked on or bullied by peers in Australian schools.
In a research presentation to the Australian Institute of Family Studies' conference, researchers reported that for more than half of children who reported experiencing unfriendly behaviours, their parents were either not aware, or did not consider the actions to be categorised as ‘bullying’.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2019.
Lack of attention from school management towards the rampant trend of bullying in schools and colleges is causing distress and mental health issues among students.
Students from both the government and private schools have complained of being bullied by their peers or even teachers but when they take their complaints to the management, their request for help goes completely ignored. Bullying is the least discussed social issue in Pakistani society. There are no studies on adolescent bullying in the country and so very little attention is paid to this sensitive issue.
NUML senior faculty member Attiya Zulfiqar said that bullying does not only affect the bullied child but it also highlights the insecurities of the child who bullies others. ‘We must not hate the bully as that child fights his/her own battles. They just have a different way of expressing their fears and anger,’ she added.
Bullying could threaten students' physical and emotional safety at school and could negatively impact their ability to learn and hinder their mental and personal growth, she said.
She suggested that there should be a psychologist on duty in every school to comfort the children in case they experience any kind of mental trauma, be it due to bullying or otherwise. ‘Some expensive private schools do have this facility for their students but government schools should also take this step into consideration,’ she added.
Private school student, 13 year old Hania Ali told APP about the immense mental pressure she often felt because of another girl's behavior towards her. ‘She often snatches my lunch or takes my books out of my bag. Upon complaining, my teacher told me to try to be friends with the girl instead of confronting her,’ she added.
Childhood memories shape a child's personality. Having some unwanted memory or incident often leaves an eternal mark on the child's consciousness and severely impacts his/her behavioural patterns.
Child psychologist Faiza Arsalan said that contrary to popular believe, the bullies are not just those ‘seniors’ in schools or colleges. They can be siblings, cousins, relatives and the worst, a teacher. She said many parents acknowledged if their child was being bullied, as opposed to teachers who children were less likely to talk to if they felt victimised.
However, analysis of a large-scale study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggested that the issue of bullying was significantly under-reported by both parents and teachers. One in three children aged 10-11 years old report being picked on or bullied by peers in Australian schools.
In a research presentation to the Australian Institute of Family Studies' conference, researchers reported that for more than half of children who reported experiencing unfriendly behaviours, their parents were either not aware, or did not consider the actions to be categorised as ‘bullying’.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2019.