Bullied children ‘at risk of becoming bullies themselves’

Schools must chalk out a comprehensive anti-harassment policy, say experts

KARACHI: If a child who is a victim of bullying or harassment is not supported and helped, he himself may become a bully or a harasser in the future, said experts speaking at a workshop on 'Harassment and Bullying in Private Educational Institutions.' The workshop was organised by Sindh Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions on Thursday at the Sindh Boy Scouts Auditorium.

Experts maintained that bullying was a repeated behaviour, adding that the biggest problem associated with it was that it affected students outside of school. Advising parents not to give smartphones to children under the age of 15, they pointed out social media was the primary source of cyberbullying, while children do not attain maturity before this age.

Educationist Shahpur Jamal explained the different types of bullying, which include emotional, physical, verbal, and cyberbullying. According to Jamal, schools must chalk out a comprehensive anti-harassment policy that is applicable to all the stakeholders, including parents or guardians, students, staff and management. Moreover, he said, students should be informed about the phenomenon of harassment and how to report it.

Bullying in schools leading to mental health issues

Former bureaucrat Mehtab Akbar Rashdi proposed including the topics of harassment and bullying in the curriculum. "The topics that are under discussion [today] were never even highlighted in the past," she said. She stated that teachers should act as students' friends when it comes to bullying.

The problem of bullying has always existed in educational institutes, but has gained an alarming intensity due to the misuse of internet and social media, pointed out psychologist Shazia Khan. "It is necessary to remind children that when someone is being bullied at school, they should not observe silence but take action to stop it," she emphasised.

Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Murtaza Wahab said that harassment and bullying were not only restricted to educational institutions but were also common in society. "Decency and respect are losing ground in our society as is evident from the aggression and anger in TV shows," he said. "We need to include 'civic values' in our curriculum and if they are already part of the syllabus, then they need further improvements."

In her opening remarks, Registrar Private Schools Department of Eduction Rafia Javed stressed on the confusions of dealing cases without the help of an eductional psychologist. She underscored importance of parent-teacher-meetings to keep the families aware about the academic achievements and social and psychological progress of the their child. She also discussed bullying and harassment with the panelists.

Monitoring officer Akhlaq Ahmed appreciated the event and urged administrators and parents to facilitate teachers into playing their role in the society.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2020.