In the wake of the brutal beating of Sylvester Oromoni in the hands of his fellow students, which led to his death, I think we need to advocate for a complete ban on the despicable culture of bullying prevalent in Nigerian primary and secondary schools and boarding houses that contributed to his death.

The Federal Ministry of Education should immediately introduce a regulation banning students in primary or secondary schools (including school prefects) from beating or punishing other students in any way or for any reason, or forcing them to run errands. Students should only be punished or sent on errands by school staff, who are old enough to bear the full legal consequences of their actions.

Parents don't send their kids to school to be used as slaves, and brutally punished by other students. They send them there to be educated. Bullying and being bullied are distractions which should no longer be tolerated in this country. Any student that tries it must face suspension. Any school that permits it should have to pay a hefty fine that is proportional to the school's revenue.

We have been crying about justice for Sylvester Oromoni for many days now, and rightly so, but justice in one case won't stop other incidents from happening. We need to tackle the root cause which is the culture of exploitation and victimization of junior/weaker students by senior/stronger students. Let's quickly ban it at this crucial time when everyone is disgusted by bullying, bullies, and schools that enable them.

They can make a press statement, saying that bullying is not allowed and all but, can it be enforced?

In Nigeria laws are made but they're not enforced. Even the law enforcement agencies we have had already been sabotaged.

We saw how two policemen were dismissed the other day because they refused to take bribe of #8 million naira

The only time that laws are being enforced in Nigeria is when probably few or more victims cry out for help. Or when it involves the rich.

We've seen some of such cases on Nairaland over the years.

Seconded

This isn't realistic.. Nigeria isn't a communist society. Just like saying a total ban on fighting or beating up people. Humans are always going to be social creatures with a natural survival instinct hence the need to dominate and conquer is ingrained and genetic in us.

Laws against things like assault helps but show me one society where such laws has stopped people from beating each other up.

Lol.

Funny to read.

The op thinks bullying is something you can stop with laws from the Ministry of Education

Bullying is part of human nature, people will always prey on the weak, it is just nature.

Running errands or getting punished by your seniors for breaking laws isn't bullying, it is just the enforcement of school hierarchy and respect for hierarchy. Seniors are also very important in helping to bring orderliness in the school especially when the teachers are packed filled with duties.

the problem here is that, it is human nature to abuse power when given. The abuse of power should be what should be curtailed. Most seniors are given power without the sense of responsibility.

Schools can create like a do and don't rule books for every student as a guideline on how to behave in schools and anyone who breaks the rules should face the consequences.

Bullying is not something that can be banned.
Children at home are bullied by parents and other siblings, even adults are bullied by their bosses and colleagues at work.
Banning it isn't a practical approach.

I nor read wetin you write but I agree with you

SportsHD:
They can make a press statement, saying that bullying is not allowed and all but, can it be enforced?

If a child is bullied in the sense that I have described e.g. if he is beaten by a senior or asked to kneel down or forced to run errand for seniors, then he can report to school officials. If they don't punish the perpetrator than he can tell his parents. The education ministry should set up an anti-bullying hotline that parents can call. If the education ministry does nothing then they can come to Nairaland and report it, and we will make noise until the perpetrator is suspended. This ban won't totally eliminate bullying but it will reduce it drastically. It will help many students.

Yeah, even cyber bullying by Nairalanders needs urgent attention

Spot on.


Bullying in the news sense can be stopped but can it be monitored?

Most schools call it respect and discipline...separating seniors from juniors! I think stronger principles should be introduced such as not letting a co-student hit anyone for any reason but report to a teacher...who can far better play the parental roles.

Bullying may never be eliminated if hitting a fellow student isn't made a crime. A crime that can result in being rusticated.

The symptoms should be tackled to curb the illness! When they know they cannot hit a student, they know they can really not bully them.

What is more, schools should implement stronger anti-bullying laws and punitive measures against offenders! Almost four out of five students have one time being bullied in school.

Parent should also become parents! They are losing it! The senior-junior treatment dichotomy should be abolished!

Unfortunately, the government are self-centred and all their care only become visible when sb dies and it hit the media. Their concern, a Greek’s gift.

Seun:
it will reduce it drastically. It will help many students.

I agree with this. At least, when these kids know that they be persecuted for that, it would reduce.

Bullying has been going on in Nigerian boarding schools from time being.

It just generated outrage now because of Sylvester's death.

One of my neighbors had to withdraw her son from a unity school five years ago because of bullying. The boy came back home, thin and sick. He said, seniors beat one of his friends blue black, the boy fainted and had to be taken to the hospital. The school authorities (the enablers) told the boy to tell his parents that he fell from a tree.

These are just a drop in the ocean in the cases of bullying that happen everyday in different private schools and federal and unity schools.

I think the Sylvester issue is a case of initiation into the cult gone wrong. They wanted to forcefully initiate him, his body wasn't "rugged enough" and he passed on.

Just like how cultists initiate people and the ones that don't survive the initiation ceremony would be abandoned in the bush. His corpse would be there, rotting.

Nevertheless, I hope the kids involved in his death would be persecuted. Knowing that Nigeria is a land of 1000 laws, slow Justice system and justice going to the highest bidder or the most connected.

And, the government also isn't accountable. We have like over 3000 unity and federal schools, with a boarding system.

While I don't know the statistics of private schools with boarding systems.

If the govt can setup an agency that oversees students complaints and bullying in school, it would be nice. But, I know my leaders. They don't give AF.

Okay.

The Nigerian dream is to bully others either physically or psychologically.

Nigerians can't do without bullying. Even the bastards that could enforce banishment of physical bullying are also fuc.king bullies.

Na hopeless bastards full Nigeria.

Nice one OP but our public school teachers are too careless about the students matter. Only the fearless can survive in a public school cuz na trench kids full there

chatinent:
Spot on.


Bullying in the news sense can be stopped but can it be monitored?

Most schools call it respect and discipline...separating seniors from juniors! I think stronger principles should be introduced such as not letting a co-student hit anyone for any reason but report to a teacher...who can far better play the parental roles.

Bullying may never be eliminated if hitting a fellow students isn't made a crime.

There is the enforcement of respect and discipline And there is bullying. They are very different.

Word!!!!

Nobody can ban bullying. The best way is to train your child to stand-up against his/her bullies.

Nice one

thebosstrevor1:


There is the enforcement of respect and discipline And there is bullying. They are very different.

True.

But these days, it is mostly intertwined with bullying and cultism.

Only those who finished from Unity boarding would understand : the life there is "Mary go round ".
When our seniors then use to bully us then, we were hoping dat Bullying should be banned until our seniors started schoolling us that it will soon reach our turn, that they too endured such fate. When I got to SS2 3rd term I then understood what those seniors were saying then: that freedom, that Power, that respect, that Vibe of living on your own terms, you do school activities at will and your juniors are scared of you more than the teachers.
FGC students in the 90s and early 2000 can relate.

Bullying can never stop. It may reduce but can never stop. No matter all the Laws put in place.

At some point everybody has been bullied and everybody has bullied somebody.

Seun:
If a child is bullied in the sense that I have described e.g. if he is beaten by a senior or asked to kneel down or forced to run errand for seniors, then he can report to school officials. If they don't punish the perpetrator than he can tell his parents. The education ministry should set up an anti-bullying hotline that parents can call. If the education ministry does nothing then they can come to Nairaland and report it, and we will make noise until the perpetrator is suspended. This ban won't totally eliminate bullying but it will reduce it drastically. It will help many students.

Again you are basing your comments on the ideal... Such control you are alluding to is only really applicable in a utopia but we all know as humans our trials at a utopia in real life always results in artificially regulated societies like communist countries.

While your point are plausible on the surface they are entirely unrealistic.

You focus too much in what should be while neglecting what is.. here in lies your faux parse

Bullying is actually not that bad it just is if taken to the extreme

,

thebosstrevor1:
There is the enforcement of respect and discipline And there is bullying. They are very different.

Students should not be allowed to discipline or demand respect from other students. That is not their job. Their job is to face their studies.

If a student needs to be disciplined, the adult staff of the school who are older, wiser, and have been trained on what to do should be the ones to do it. No exceptions.

There are bullies everywhere : school, workplace, neighborhoods, church, mosque, etc.
The way an ajebutter will define bullying will be different from the Ajepako definition.