Tackling bullying in schools
IF there was anyone who still harboured lingering doubts that bullying exits in schools, then those misgivings must have been extinguished after watching a disturbing video that circulated on social media early this week.
The video clip captured four female learners at Ruwangwe Secondary School in Nyanga, beating up a defenceless colleague.
In the obnoxious clip, the four assailants even tried to strip naked the hapless victim over and above the avalanche of blows, kicks and claps raining on her.
Battered and bruised, the victim frantically tries to fight back from a tight corner, and hurls stones at her attackers.
Disturbingly, other learners just stand by soaking in the free drama. Another supposed schoolmate is shooting the video.
A man riding a motorcycle wheels off past the scene without intervening. It only took the intervention of two men on a motorcycle to break up the fracas.
The video has caused consternation among fellow learners, schools authorities, parents and guardians.
Nip in the bud
In an interview on Wednesday, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s spokesperson, Mr Taungana Ndoro, described the incident as, both regrettable and deplorable.
“When the video circulated, we immediately intervened as the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. We promptly dispatched our team to Ruwangwe Secondary School in Nyanga District to get to the bottom of that very unfortunate incident. The team went there, not only for investigations, but it also comprised of professional counsellors to provide guidance and counselling to both the perpetrators and the victim.
“We established that the incident was triggered by a social misunderstanding among the learners involved. Everything has since been resolved and the school head was instructed to institute stringent measures to prevent similar cases from happening in the future since the incident occurred outside the school premises,” said Mr Ndoro.
He said the victim did not sustain serious injuries during the attack, but just some minor bruises. Mr Ndoro said all, but two of the five learners involved are attending school and the ministry has since engaged their parents.
He said the ministry does not condone bullying, adding that the scourge must be nipped in the bud.
“As a matter of policy, all the 10 600 schools across Zimbabwe are required to have anti-bullying teaching that is delivered to every learner to sensitise them about the scourge. Learning institutions also have guidance and counselling lessons tackling bullying. This forms part of schools’ regulations.
“When such unfortunate incidents happen, corrective or disciplinary measures rather than punitive punishment are taken to address and redress bullying,” he said.
Shared concern, collective responsibility
Mr Ndoro said bullying is a shared concern, and tackling it should be a collective responsibility.
He said collaborative efforts among stakeholders can help tame the vice and urged everyone to play a meaningful role.
“To complement what is being taught in schools about bullying through guidance and counselling lessons, awareness is also being raised in communities so that parents and guardians are involved too.
“Society cannot just watch while children plunge into deviance epitomised by bullying, but have to intervene and prevent the vice. Parents and guardians also have a role to play by ensuring that their children are neither perpetrators nor victims. No one is safe until we all are involved in addressing this issue,” he said.
Mr Ndoro said this is critical in promoting safe and secure spaces for children at home and school.
A parent who declined to be named said the bullying incident involving Ruwangwe Secondary learners was just a tip of the iceberg of how prevalent the vice is in schools and communities.
“My child suffered at the hands of schoolmates who used to bully him by demanding trinkets and trying to co-opt him into a gang that was hooked onto drugs and dangerous substances. It got worse to the point that my
child started absconding school and became reclusive. He suffered severely and his performance in class drastically dropped.
“After several attempts in vain, he eventually opened up to me, detailing what he was going through at school. It was a living hell. I had to transfer him from that school, and he has since found his feet again at his new base,” said the woman.
She urged school authorities to do more by putting in place systems that prevent bullying and safety nets that can help victims cope and recover. The woman called on parents and guardians to strictly monitor their children’s activities and movements.
“As parents and guardians, we have to be exemplary at home because children live what they learn and learn what they live. Our behaviour at home must never give reason to our children to become bullies. By monitoring, we can recognise signs of bullying in our children such as sudden withdrawal, fear, unexplained injuries and destroyed personal belongings,” she said.
Mutare-based psychotherapist and youth advocate, Mr Manley Nemakonde said bullying can have disastrous and far-reaching repercussions if it goes unchecked.
“Bullying has become a growing menace in our communities. This aggressive and provocative behaviour can be a traumatising experience that may result in physical injury, social and emotional distress, self-harm, and even death.
“It also escalates the risk for depression, anxiety, phobia, sleeping difficulties, poor academic performance in school, low self-esteem and dropping out of school. Bullying — which can happen at school, at home and in the community — contributes to mental health problems, including suicide and violence if the targets decide to retaliate,” he said.
Mr Nemakonde said it is imperative for children affected by bullying to get help from medical or mental health professionals.
He said the move by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to train teachers in guidance and counselling can go a long way in cultivating personal, social and educational development of learners in the face of bullying.
He added that it was essential for teacher-training institutions to arm student teachers with skills on ways to curb bullying in schools.
This, said Mr Nemakonde, will prepare learners to identify any bullying situations in schools and report them.
He said parents and guardians must be compelled to teach their children empathy, kindness and respect through role modelling to prevent them from bullying others.