JOIN USEven as the Central Board of School Education is in the process of formulating an effective policy to deal with bullying in its affiliated schools, a number of well-known CBSE schools in the City already have in place various measures to deal with the issue.
A student helpline, anti-bullying posters in every floor, a student council to settle any case of bullying at the student level and a dropbox to register complaints are some of the proactive measures that have been taken by Army Public School, Kamaraj Road.
“We have also conducted an informal survey where we asked our children whether or not they have been victims of bullying. Parents have also been asked to report to the school in case of a change in the behaviour of children, or when they refuse to go to school for no reason, which may be because of bullying,” said Manjula Raman, principal, Army Public School.
Delhi Public School, South, for example, has put in place a number of preventive and curative measures involving students to tackle the menace. The school conducts weekly meetings on the issue; a panel discussion is held to sensitise students and make them aware about the impacts and punishments involved in case of such incidents, Manju Sharma, principal of the school, said.
“Cases of bullying are more common among students in the middle classes. We have arranged for counsellors and psychologists to talk to students in case such incidents are reported,” she said.
At HAL Public School, Vimanapura, teachers take the responsibility of performing various duties of monitoring any such incidents. “There are also various role-playing and awareness programmes where children are asked to speak out,” said Shobha Rajiv, principal of the school.
The CBSE has been asking its affiliated schools for feedback on various aspects of bullying by means of an online questionnaire. Whether or not a student has been a victim of or witness to bullying, the measures taken by schools in such instances are some of the questions that have been posed.
The feedback will then be used by the board in formulating various measures to deal with the issue. A number of schools whom Deccan Herald spoke to said they would be sending the feedback to the board shortly.