Counsellor reports decline in bullying at schools Loop Barbados

Black Immigrant Daily News

Secondary schools involved in the Olweus Bullying Programme have recorded a decline in bullying.

While speaking at the relaunch of the programme at the Grantley Adams Memorial School on Monday, November 7, chief executive officer of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development (SCPD), Shawn Clarke revealed that there has been a significant drop in bullying at the school since the introduction of the programme.

“The statistics speak for themselves,” said Clarke.

He indicated that according to a 2019 survey conducted by the SCPD to ascertain the level of bullying at the St Joseph secondary school, bullying stood at 18 per cent, with 8 per cent reporting that they were bullied and 10 per cent bullying others.

However, when tested again in 2022, the level of bullying stood at 11 per cent; seven per cent were bullied and four per cent bullied others.

“In that time period the number of students who were bullied fell at one per cent and the number of students who bullied others fell by six per cent, an overall reduction of seven per cent,” Clarke disclosed.

In 2018, the St George Secondary School was tested prior to joining the Olweus Bullying Programme and the level of bullying at the school was 22 per cent, but after they joined the programme this year, it decreased to 11 per cent.

Clarke asserted that acts of bullying needed to be nipped in the bud from early.

“Bullying prevention is crime prevention. Bullying is a problem of epic proportions in schools, on the playground, at work and even at home.

“Pastors, educators, and community leaders see bullying as a devastating form of abuse can have low term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school and even prompting health problems and suicide. Bullying, therefore, can be a gateway behaviour teaching the preparator that threats and aggression are acceptable even in adulthood,” said the CEO of SCPD.

Clarke’s sentiments were supported by Minister in the Attorney General’s Office with the responsibility for crime prevention, Corey Lane.

During his feature address, Lane appealed to principals, teachers, parents and the police to take every report of bullying seriously.

“I am asking every parent, every principal, every police to take every report seriously. Our research [states]…60 per cent of bullies go on to commit some form of crime.”

“Just like in nursery, we do not allow you to take up a pencil because it can turn to grand theft. We are not going to allow you to bully because in 10 years you are going to be on Page 1 or Page 3 as murderers so we are going to stamp out the small things to prevent the big things

“We can’t just start with the murderers, we have to start with the small things,” Lane stressed.

NewsAmericasNow.com