FOR many years, we have encountered troubling stories of bullying among students, which have profoundly impacted our youths.
It is crucial to identify and address any act of bullying early before it spirals out of control and affects students’ lives and the reputation of our education system.
To effectively prevent bullying in schools, it is crucial to understand the different types or categories of bullying.
Bullying can be divided into two main forms: direct bullying and indirect bullying.
Direct bullying involves overt attacks on a victim, whether physical or verbal. In contrast, indirect bullying is more subtle and often harder to identify. It includes actions such as causing mental or psychological stress, social isolation, spreading gossip, damaging the victim’s reputation and making obscene gestures, among others.
Teachers and school management should play a vital role in preventing bullying among students as they are in close contact with the pupils, and are responsible for ensuring their safety and well-being.
One of the key steps they can
take to prevent bullying in schools is to create a safe and supportive environment.
To achieve this, they must establish a culture of inclusion and respect that welcomes all students while also consistently monitoring bullying “hot spots” in and around the school.
It is important for teachers to manage their classrooms effectively to prevent bullying. Teachers should develop rules collaboratively with students to foster respect and responsibility. They must reinforce these rules by making expectations clear and keeping requests simple, direct and specific.
If teachers encounter any bullying incident, they must be proactive and address it immediately. Ignoring such incidents is not an option.
Teachers must do their best to control the situation. If they cannot resolve the matter, they should seek help from others, such as the school management, parents, guardians, or professional assistance from the education department or Education Ministry.
If teachers feel confident in handling the bullying incident themselves, they should do so professionally and cautiously, following all established guidelines and rules.
Regardless of the steps they take, it is essential for teachers to actively engage with their students on this issue and explore ways to prevent bullying at all costs.
Everyone must continuously support teachers in eradicating bullying in schools. Without this ongoing support, it becomes difficult for teachers to effectively prevent bullying.
At the same time, it is crucial to change our mindset and attitudes toward bullying.
Unfortunately, many people still believe that bullying only occurs among schoolchildren. In reality, bullying can happen to anyone, regardless of age, and can take place anywhere.
In 2017, the country was shocked by the tragic death of Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, a 21-year-old university student who died at Serdang Hospital after suffering serious injuries suspected to be the result of bullying by his peers.
On July 23, the Court of Appeal reinstated murder charges under Section 302 of the Penal Code against six former students for their role in Zulfarhan’s death seven years ago.
Many societies harbour a deep-seated stigma that suggests bullying does not occur in universities, assuming that students at this level are too smart and mature to engage in such behaviour.
As a result, the issue often goes unnoticed and unchecked for years. This misconception needs to be addressed to foster a safer environment for all students.
There are many reasons why bullying occurs in universities. It
may stem from a lack of supervision by the university management and ineffective or outdated policies to address bullying on campus.
Universities must take bullying issues seriously and develop clear and comprehensive plans to tackle them effectively.
The university management needs to develop a clear procedural process for victims to lodge complaints and for witnesses to come forward with testimonies and evidence.
The policy should define bullying, outline its categories and provide emergency contact numbers for victims seeking immediate help. It is essential to communicate this policy to students and staff so that everyone has a basic understanding of the issue of bullying.
We should consider amending
the existing Education Act 1996 or creating a new law specifically aimed at addressing bullying effectively.
We can learn from the United Kingdom’s Education and Inspections Act 2006, which provides a framework for tackling bullying in the education sector.
Additionally, we can reference
the United States where all 50
states have implemented their own anti-bullying laws.
At the same time, the government should consider creating legislation aimed at deterring and punishing anti-social behaviours, including bullying, particularly among children, teenagers and young adults.
By enacting strong laws on this matter, we can effectively address issues related to youth delinquency, gangsterism and bullying.
The writer is an associate professor, Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.
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