School Bullying: The Silent Pandemic of Society

The school system over time has been established as an important pathway towards success in life. Young minds are nurtured and trained to lead a successful life and become valuable members of society. The system is also tasked with equipping individuals with knowledge and intellect that will help them become leaders of industry, governing officials, and influential pillars of the community.

The importance of the school system cannot be over emphasized as it is such a crucial platform for instilling proper values and morals. Beyond its academic responsibilities, the school system also helps children nurture attributes such as hard work, decency, empathy, discipline, resilience, and leadership.

Schools were instituted to be a haven for learning and developing core life values but over the years, the educational system has been plagued with a silent menace called Bullying.

Some might respond to this article as an over reaction to “kids being kids” but the apparent damage to these kids and to the society begs to differ. The act of bullying has become a situation for deep concern in our schools due to the adverse effects it has on the psychological and physical wellbeing of its victims. In some horrid situations, it has even led to the untimely death of the same kids the system was meant to cater for.

For so long, the brazen act of forceful intimidation, coercion, and brutalizing of pupils by their fellow students has been willfully ignored under the guise of “seniority” or “rite of passage.” Innocent students whose sole intention was to receive an education with the hopes of becoming successful members of society, find themselves at the end of vile beatings and emotional subjugation by fellow students.

The act of bullying has been documented as a major cause of depression and suicidal tendencies in teenagers. Victims of bullying tend to build up emotional walls as a coping mechanism thereby becoming emotionally unbalanced and socially deficient. The fear of reprisal attacks causes them not to confide in their parents or authority figures which in turn deepens the psychological damage these young kids endure.

The ripple effects of bullying has become the bane of society today with the rise of cultism in higher institutions. In a bid to avoid the trauma of being bullied, young students seek out confraternities to serve as a source of protection thus becoming the bullies themselves. These individuals upon graduation get integrated into different spheres of life and begin to perpetuate the same violent behavior they imbibed on campus.

From political thuggery, armed robbery and organized crime, society suffers drastically from the vicious chain reaction that is sparked by the singular act of bullying.

Recently, a video of a bullying incident between female students at Lead British International School Abuja drew the attention of the authorities which eventually led to the temporary closure of the school. This video served as an ugly reminder of the depth of this rot in our educational institutions. Places of learning are gradually being turned into our children’s worst nightmares with many parents and guardians oblivious to this fact.

Responsibility lies on both the school authorities and parents to curb this menace for the benefit of fostering a healthy and thriving society. Parents must dedicate time and energy to imbibe the right values in their children and wards. They must not only teach but exemplify empathy and its benefits to these little ones from an early age. The school authorities must also impose a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying even as they create an enabling environment for troubled kids to get the help they need through counselling programs.

We can no longer turn a blind eye to the ongoing devastation of the future of this nation. We must act quickly to salvage the mental wellbeing of the younger generation which in turn will lead to a nation of emotionally balanced individuals at the helm of affairs fostering growth, unity, and peace.