Bullying In School

Bullying is that social relationship in which an individual repeatedly picks on another. It can be physical, verbal or psychological.

While both boys and girls can be bullies, boys are more likely to be physically aggressive — for instance, hitting and kicking — whereas girls are more likely to be verbally aggressive when they bully.

Bullying is very common in school, especially in the boarding houses where students, for the first time in their lives, live independently. In school, it is likely to occur when fresh students are admitted.

Continuing students devise various ways to bully fresh students. They are made to kneel, tuck their shirts in their panties, weed, fetch water, eat unwholesome food, cry into buckets, as well as other unimaginable things.

The practice is worse among boys than girls. Junior boys are forced to give their provisions to the seniors, while others are not allowed to sleep on their own mattresses. It is always the senior who is supposed to enjoy the booty at the expense of the “ninos”.

Even though bullying is often seen as suppression of junior students, it could be fun when you accept it as normal with freshmen in boarding schools and when it does not go to the extreme of inflicting wounds on the junior student.

Some schools even include “ ninos” night on their school calendars, where a special entertainment period is fixed for freshers to entertain the seniors.

During that time, variety programmes are drawn up for freshers to exhibit the special talents they have. Students compose their own songs and sing to the admiration of other students.

Some of the activities for the night usually include eating competitions, choreography, modelling, talents night, etc. Students dress in fancy costumes using sponge as flying tie; others mix colours with water and paint their faces in various designs, among others. Some of the students take pictures which they keep forever. The night is always memorable.

Surpassingly, some bullies carry their behaviour to the universities. There, again, despite the fact that they are mature people, freshers are humiliated and “ponded”.

Most bullies take delight in causing pain to or humiliating their victims, without taking into consideration the effects of their actions.

These acts by bullies can turn sour sometimes and the effects are devastating. For instance, a junior who is made to kneel for long hours could collapse in the process.

Some students drop out of school because of bullying and do not have the interest to go back again.nOthers also live in constant fear, which affects them emotionally and academically.

Excessive bullying does not augur well for the development and behaviour of students.

Form One students will soon go to school and they need to be taken through the rules and regulations of their schools. They should be taught to muster courage and report any senior who bullies them in any form.

Fresh students should be treated in such a way that they will love to be in school always.  Continuing students should, therefore, give them support and always offer a helping hand to them to make them feel at home.

For, if they are treated nicely, they are likely to continue with that tradition and gradually bullying in schools will be reduced to the barest minimum.