Sixth grader Zakaria Hasan (not his real name) suddenly lost interest in school. On different pretexts, he stayed at home. It was a new school and a new bunch of classmates, so his parents thought this could be a reason.

But the boy continued to show reluctance. After a few days, his father Mahmudul Hasan, a private organisation employee, decided to enquire.

“I sat with my son and convinced him to tell me what actually went wrong. He told me some classmates made fun of him and manhandled him several times. He doesn’t like the harassment,” the father said.

“I somehow managed to make him understand that these things are part of life and you have to face up to it,” he said. Mahmudul, however, did not inform the matter to the school authorities because he thought he would not get any remedy.

Such behaviour is not uncommon because there is a strong prevalence of school bullying in Bangladesh. Unesco says more than 23 percent of students have been bullied by peers, leaving negative impact on the children’s mental development.

Speaking at a programme in Dhaka early this month, Education Minister Dipu Moni said, “It is unfortunate that bullying and ragging occur in many schools. Many students are reluctant to go to class and suffer mental problem because of this.”

She said, “We will ensure an educational atmosphere where no students face any form of repression.”

BULLYING AND IMPACT 

Bullying can often lead to devastating consequences for the victim, which include trouble concentrating on study, truancy, or even dropout, said educationists.

In January, Unesco published a report titled, “Behind the numbers: Ending school violence and bullying”. According to it, children who are frequently bullied are nearly three times more likely to feel like an outsider at school, and twice more likely to miss school compared to those who are not frequently bullied.

Children bullied also have worse educational outcomes. It can have a significant impact on their mental health, quality of life and behaviour. Bully-victims are also almost twice as likely to feel lonely, to be unable to sleep at night, and to have contemplated suicide, the report says.

Muhammad Kamruzzaman Mozumder, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Dhaka University, endorses the findings.

He said bullying affects the mental growth of children because on many occasions they cannot concentrate on study and skip classes. “Victims can develop low self-esteem and suffer lifelong,” he added.

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

“School bullying usually goes unnoticed and unaddressed. A policy is required to address the matter,” said Unicef Senior Education Advisor Chowdhury Mufad Ahmed.

Recently, the government is preparing an anti-bullying policy, keeping provisions of punishment for offenders.

Secondary and Higher Education Division Additional Secretary Jabed Ahmed told The Daily Star, “We have prepared a draft and will try to finalise it soon.”

The initiative came after the High Court asked them to prepare such a policy following the suicide of Aritry Adhikary, a ninth grader of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, in December 2018, the official said.

Aritry died by suicide after teachers insulted her parents in front of her because she had cheated in an exam, said family members and police.

According to the draft policy, a bullying tendency is being noticed in school. Because of bullying, victims do not want to go to school, which affects teaching-learning. A school should be a safe place without any fear. There should be a zero tolerance policy against bullying, and schools should issue transfer certificates (TCs) to bullies.

The policy also recommends monitoring of school premises. There should be CCTV cameras at hallways and classrooms as well as the compound. In addition, both bullies and victims should be given counselling to change their behaviour.    

The draft policy also sheds light on issues like bullying through the digital media. “Cyber-bullying, which means sending indecent text messages, circulating secret things on social media, and threatening online, has become a new problem.”

The authorities should ban carrying and using of digital devices, taking of pictures and videos at schools, and discourage students from using social media, the policy states.

A section of the education ministry officials, however, criticised the policy because there is no mention of bullying by schoolteachers or staff.

Psychology teacher Kamruzzaman Mozumder said that in Bangladesh many teachers bully students most often to control the class. “The government should incorporate the role of teachers in the policy after looking into a few cases.”  

A member of the drafting committee and director of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Director, Abdul Mannan, said the role of teachers was included in the policy.

At the moment, there are no directives for schools on what to do about bullying, he said. “The policy will give them a guideline for tackling bullying.”

Ideal School and College Principal Shahan Ara Begum said the incidents of school bullying are on the rise. “Students’ increasing access to internet and social media could be a reason,” she said.

“We usually talk to students, and if necessary, discuss the matter with parents, whenever we get any complaints.”