We are all used to the idea of sending children to school and expect them to learn something there and maybe also socialize and create what we hope are meaningful and lasting friendships. This is not always the case. Some students often fall victim to the cruel pranks or what may be termed as physical and emotional abuse by peers or even by school staff. According to a renowned anti bullying website , bullying is a matter of having power over someone else. This is a general definition, but one which may shed more light on the question at hand.
Wikipedia defines a school as, “A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or “pupils”) under the direction of teachers”. In my view this definition does not encompass all that the school really is. A school is not just about instruction, but also about formation. Students are not only taught subjects, but also educated and given the proper formation. If we raise the issue of character formation in schools that it becomes apparent that being a bully is not an appropriate way of being or maybe simply a character deficiency. In this case it is the school’s responsibility to cater for the needs of the student.
The responsibility of the school should also be taken into consideration if the educational facility is taken as a “learning environment”. The school is not merely a place with classrooms, teachers and students. The best learning occurs when students are being primed by the environment to learn. In this case, Maslow’s heirarchy of needs applies. The environment should first cater for the basic needs of the clients (students). In this case the students need to learn in a comfortable and secure environment. Bullying certainly creates an insecure environment for many students. This would mean that bullying is grave issue which hinders students’ learning from the very start.
The next argument is that of finance. A school is always paid for by parents. Government schools are paid through people’s taxes and private schools directly from the parents’ pockets. I am sure that every parent or citizen wishes that their money is spent on safe schools for all children and bullying is seen as a problem which needs to be tackled but is unfortunately often ignored. If we take into consideration the financial aspect then bullying is merely an important issue which is not tackled when we are paying for it to be resolved in the school. Should we keep paying money for seminars and high tech teaching equipment and yet forget the basic needs of our children?. That question may be better answered by the education authorities.