Parents need to be educated about the association between bullying and the probable psychiatric outcomes in order to properly screen children and to intervene if needed.
March 14, 2025
The road to ending abuse in schools
We note word in Thursday’s edition that research shows bullying among children at primary schools in today’s Jamaica is worse than at the high school level.
The situation is such that director of safety and security in the Ministry of Education Mr Richard Troupe is arguing for a refocusing of efforts to ensure that priority attention goes to “children [bullies and their victims] at the primary level”.
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It’s a curious thing for older Jamaicans who recall ragging at high schools decades ago.
In large measure, ragging involved verbal humiliation and other forms of abuse carried out by senior students against young children just entering high school. In the case of boys especially, that abuse often became physical.
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Such behaviour was compounded by an outlook among school leaders that ragging was a sort of initiation which did more good than harm since it served to toughen up the new entrant.
Thankfully, anecdotal evidence — seemingly borne out by aforementioned research — suggests that ragging is no longer commonplace in school, if it exists at all. Very importantly, it’s no longer tolerated by school leadership.
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In truth, bullying and physical abuse in schools was not confined to students, decades ago. Some teachers were also bullies who delighted in humiliating children and used corporal punishment — which was acceptable, even recommended at the time — to brutally abuse those in their care.
In decades past, there were children who would stay away from school — even after being sent forth by parents and guardians — purely because of fear of the teacher’s strap.
Thankfully, those days too are behind us, with Government and teachers’ organisations firmly opposed to such behaviour. Today, teachers have faced charges for hitting children.
We have said all of the above to make the point that, bad as current bullying and other forms of abuse in school may be perceived to be, it really is nowhere near as bad as it was.
That’s even while recognising that, in recent years, school violence has led to maiming and death.
All that said, bullying and violence in schools remain serious problems that must be dealt with.
For, as Mr Troupe reminds us, “…we know that those who are victims of bullying, when the issues are not resolved, they…grow up to become [bullies]…”
Also, students from violence-prone communities and homes are often the ones likely to indulge in abusing their peers.
Like Mr Troupe, we are happy that a safety policy aimed at improving security and rapid response to violence at schools is soon to be finalised for Cabinet’s attention.
Equally important, in our view, must be the longer-term push for prevention. That must entail integrated positive socialisation at every level from infancy onwards because violence — like all things antisocial — is learnt behaviour.
There has to be a conscious, comprehensive push to get Jamaicans attuned to basics, such as how best to properly raise children without resorting to beatings; that resolving conflicts is best done peacefully; and that hard work — not piracy, thievery, Anancyism/scamming — is the best way to earn a living.
It’s all part of that comprehensive values and attitudes programme we keep insisting Jamaica needs. It’s not easy, and it will take time, but it must be done.
