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The Big Stories || Bullying in Schools: Culprit in Adisadel College viral video suspended pending investigations - JoyNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Good morning to you. Thank you for staying here on the AM show. It's a good morning for many of us, but not so good for a young
00:07 student of the Addis Ababa College who's been a victim of bullying.
00:11 I'm sure you may have seen that video too graphic to be replayed here. I mean
00:15 if you've seen that video, I'm sure you cringed as I did. But for those of you who may not be aware,
00:21 there's a video that has gone viral of a student of Addis Ababa College
00:27 holding the neck of another, choking him this way, and then slamming his head into the metal
00:34 frame of the bed. It's really disturbing.
00:37 Instantly you see the one who has been bullied have a swell and then he starts bleeding.
00:44 The Ghana Education Service has released a statement saying that
00:49 the police is investigating the matter. The school authorities have also treated sane.
00:55 But this morning we want to have a conversation about bullying.
00:58 Those of you who have been through the system in Ghana, you know that in some of the schools, it's the norm, especially
01:05 for a fresher, a Form 1 student coming in, for absolutely no reason
01:12 you are subjected to all
01:14 forms of
01:17 inhumane activities,
01:19 hitting, beating, being asked to do ridiculous things and you just wonder how that forms part of an
01:27 education system. You are made to believe that it happened before you came in, so it's a tradition.
01:34 But should this continue?
01:36 We'd also like to understand what happens to people who are bullied like this young gentleman.
01:42 And we also like to go into the mind of the one perpetrating the act.
01:47 Why do people bully? This morning I've been joined by Dr. Ruth Owusu-Nkwisi,
01:51 she's head of the psychiatry department at the Konfarnoche Teaching Hospital.
01:55 We also have Dr. Peter Antti who is very interested in what happens in the education space.
02:02 Let me start with you, Doc, and thank you so much for agreeing to do this this morning.
02:06 We've seen the video, it's a disheartening one.
02:10 I've described it to those who've not seen it, but tell us exactly what happens to young people who are bullied.
02:17 Or persons who are bullied generally.
02:19 Good morning to you viewers. I think that this bullying has got a psychological impact on students.
02:28 Sorry, Dr. Peter Antti, that question was to Dr. Ruth Owusu-Nkwisi.
02:34 Good morning to you all. Thank you for having me on this discussion.
02:44 Bullying has a lot of negative psychological and mental effects and impacts on the survivors or the victim.
02:56 I have personally had to see or attend to young people in the secondary schools and sometimes adults in the working space who have been bullied.
03:10 One typical one I remember was when this young man was asked to give up all his provisions, chateau, needle, etc, sardine,
03:24 just so he would be spared being beaten and bullied and all that in a boys' school.
03:29 He kept ringing the father to say that I've been asked to buy book A, textbook B, just to be able to get money and bribe his seniors from bullying him.
03:45 Eventually, his father became suspicious of the excessive intake of the money and then quizzed him only to find out that he was bullying.
03:53 The worst thing was that he started hearing voices when he had even vacated and had come home of these seniors who were screaming on him.
04:04 He was talking in his sleep and all that.
04:06 After seeing him and listening that all of this was precipitated by bullying, I just decided to hold on or even start anti-psychosis because this boy was clearly hallucinating.
04:19 Just psychotherapy or some counselling and then moving him away from the source of bullying and then also punishing this senior
04:28 eventually sent away all the voices he was persistently hearing.
04:33 The negative mental health impact on people who are bullied cannot be overemphasised.
04:41 People get depressed, they get anxious, they live with post-traumatic stress disorder.
04:46 Then their academics decline just because of bullying.
04:52 Research has also proved that one out of every ten students that drops out of school is purely because of bullying and nothing else.
04:59 I think that it's about time this habit and this ritual or tradition stopped in all secondary schools.
05:08 The fact that you were bullied does not mean that you should bully other people.
05:14 Most importantly, I'd just like for us to go into the mind of the person who is bullying another person.
05:23 Why do they do it? What goes through the mind of a bully?
05:28 Exactly what prompts them to behave like that?
05:35 Bullying can be seen in the light of a form of abuse and it can take several forms, either physical or verbal.
05:45 It is very common that people who have themselves been bullied are more prone to bullying other people.
05:55 They begin to see it as a norm. After all, it happened to me.
06:00 The tradition must go on. That cycle must be broken.
06:05 If people stop bullying other people, the cycle of producing bullies in the future also stops.
06:15 People should stop bullying. Simple.
06:18 By that stopping, bullies will be taken out of the system or bullying will stop.
06:26 In other times, people have seen it being done to other people.
06:31 By experiencing or seeing or being in the view of bullying activities, they also learn it and want to give it to other people.
06:41 Usually, there is no basic or there is no serious reason why people should bully.
06:47 It's out of fun. It's a tradition. It was done to me, so let me do it to you.
06:51 One of the ways is to just stop that cycle because bullied people are themselves bullies.
06:57 When we stop bullying people, we stop producing bullies.
07:01 How does upbringing play a role in somebody either turning out to be a bully or not?
07:08 Because sometimes in the books you read, especially when they are toddlers,
07:12 when they want to establish dominance as young children, "This is mine. This is not yours."
07:17 You are told to handle it carefully because if you aren't cautious, you may be raising a child who will end up being a bully.
07:26 You are absolutely right.
07:28 Upbringing has some role in producing children or young people that become bullies later in their life.
07:38 More so in children who are growing up in a very abusive environment,
07:45 in an environment where the father or the mother is abusive physically or verbally.
07:50 It is a way that it gets ingrained in their upbringing, in their environmental role of their nature.
07:59 The upbringing involves nature and nature.
08:03 Some of the things or characters or behavior that children pick up while growing is what they pick up from the environment.
08:11 When they consistently see adults or parents being abusive, being drunk, abusing substances and all that,
08:20 they themselves will grow up to be like such adults.
08:24 Doc, I'll come back to you. Let me bring in Dr. Peter Ante now.
08:28 Doc, you work in the education space and like I said, I don't know what your experience was like in high school,
08:36 but I did see people being bullied and like Doc said, it was just for the fun of it.
08:40 People say, well, that's how we do it. Form one, they are homoing you, they are slapping you,
08:45 they are asking you to kneel and do other funny things.
08:50 How has the education system over the years fostered and nurtured this very act of bullying?
09:01 Thank you very much and good morning to your viewers.
09:03 Yes, I think that is more of a culture that has evolved in most of our senior high schools and even at the tertiary level,
09:13 where students are subjected to various forms of bullying.
09:18 Some used to be non-violent. So you are asked to either do one or two things,
09:27 dress in a certain manner or sing some profane songs and other things just for the fun of it.
09:34 And this seems to be one of the things that have engulfed our educational system.
09:44 It's also built into school culture where in some of the schools, especially the boys schools, these things are very, very prevalent.
09:52 So that is how this bullying has been. But in most instances where the bullying tends to be violent,
10:03 it's more from people who are a little bit into other substances.
10:13 And that is from a personal experience, because I remember in those days in school,
10:18 those who would engage you violently in terms of activities of bullying are those who were seen as seniors who were involved in other substances.
10:30 And that was very worrying. So that is the school culture that we have built over the years.
10:39 And it seems to have toned down in recent times. So this particular video emerged last night.
10:49 So I went to a senior high school, a government senior high school, and I remember at the time I entered my third year,
10:59 the headmistress at the time, Mrs. Sarah Wilson, may her soul rest in peace, made a decision to end that practice,
11:09 especially when form ones enter senior high school and they are bullied by the form threes.
11:15 And there were colleagues in the senior year who thought, well, why is now our time to get our revenge?
11:22 Because it was, you know, it was done to us and you're withholding.
11:26 It almost felt like it was a right. And that's why I understand why Dr. Ruth says that most bullies are persons who have been bullied themselves,
11:34 because then you feel like it's something that I need to do to feel satisfied, to get even,
11:43 even though the person you're bullying is not the one who bullied you.
11:47 But what I'm driving at is it took one headmistress to end a practice,
11:53 even though the students were, I mean, the seniors were unhappy about it.
11:57 You realize that you didn't have people who were being beaten,
12:01 who were being asked to stretch their hands and being slapped at the back and all those kind of things.
12:07 Dr. Peter Ante, why are our headmistresses and our school authorities allowing these things to continue?
12:15 Is it that they don't know how to end the practice or they just also some way believe that,
12:21 oh, this is just normal, you know, behavior expected of young people?
12:27 What has your experience been in this arena when it comes to the education space?
12:32 So as I said, it's it's it has it has built up into the school culture.
12:37 And so some teachers and I don't want to go to the headmistress now.
12:42 Some teachers feel that it is one of the things or the orientations that students needs to go through when they when they enter the
12:51 the campus. But when it tends to be violent, then it becomes problematic because as I indicated earlier on,
12:59 some of these practices are non-violent singing songs, dressing in a certain way, marching around and all those things.
13:07 But bullying is bullying, right? Bullying is bullying.
13:10 Because I was just telling someone in the newsroom and I when I went to high school, I was asked to smooch a pillow.
13:16 And I said, I won't do it because it violates me and what I stand for and I feel abused.
13:22 So it may appear to be non-violent, but it still has a certain impact on the one who is being bullied.
13:29 There are stories of people who were just teased because they wet their bed.
13:33 That's not violence. But the people ended up having some mental issues.
13:38 Let me just ask you to hold on. Let me go back to Dr. Koshy's.
13:42 Let me let me let me. I want I was building a point.
13:45 All right. OK, you build a point. I think why, why the headmasters have not been able to end this.
13:50 And I was saying that there are two categories of bullying, the violent one and the non-violent one.
13:56 In most instances, the school authorities focus so much on the violence, bullying, violence one.
14:03 And so until some of these violent ones come up, it becomes difficult for the school authorities to even identify.
14:11 Again, this this these are the reasons why we have authorities at different levels on campus.
14:17 So you have the dorm prefects, you have the house prefects, then you have the house master and then you have the senior house master.
14:27 And then you have the other headmasters and so on and so forth.
14:30 And it is believed that in the activity that happens in the dorm, because normally these things happen in the dormitories.
14:37 In the activities that happens in the dormitory should be reported to that house prefect and onward forward to forwarded to the senior house master and so on and so forth.
14:49 So if these things do not happen, you would it would be very difficult for a headmaster who sits at the top to really know what is really happening in each dormitory on campus.
15:00 And the inability to stop this stems from the fact that those who are involved are also those who are sometimes supposed to report these activities to the relevant authorities.
15:13 That's a fantastic point you make, because I was going to say that sometimes the prefects themselves are quite problematic.
15:18 But let me come to Doug. A few pointers from Dr. Anti-Submission.
15:23 So the mindset, like he says, of certain people that, oh, this is nonviolent.
15:28 So I mean, I mean, allow whatever it is.
15:32 Yeah, they are young people. They'll get over it.
15:33 Just help us understand how some of those nonviolent forms of bullying also affect those who are being bullied.
15:47 Dr. Ruth, do I still have Dr. Ruth with me?
15:51 Yeah, someone said if you inflict physical wound, it will heal.
15:55 But when it is emotional, it may stay forever.
15:58 How are you going to get into the person's emotional space and dress the wound?
16:04 And so the most severe and dangerous and worrying outcome or consequence of bullying is the verbal ones.
16:12 OK, or even the silent ones. There are times that people are bullied in the form of excluding them from everything.
16:21 And so if it is a dorm prefect or a senior, a house prefect or something,
16:29 you deliberately set your eyes on one particular form, one student or junior, and you tell the person, look, you are not coming for the games.
16:38 You are not going for prep. You are not attending the entertainment.
16:42 You are not going to church. They deliberately excluded that.
16:47 They have not said anything as an insult per se, or they have not beaten you to inflict any physical.
16:54 But that is another huge form of bullying that makes the person feel left alone and lowers the person's self-esteem.
17:03 That's what affects their afterlife.
17:06 There are times people use verbal ways to abuse others and by whatever way, whether they come from maybe poor homes.
17:15 You don't have this. You dress a stone.
17:20 You are wearing an old shoe. Your shoe is half, your sole is half gone.
17:26 You know, all sorts of verbal things really kill the spirit in the late term, in the late month term.
17:34 So affects people emotionally and psychologically.
17:37 And these are some of the things that build mistrust between people and their close associates.
17:44 So this person grows and they don't trust, they can't trust anybody.
17:49 They enter relationships and they can't trust anybody.
17:52 They get employed at the workplace. They can't trust their boss.
17:55 They can't trust a senior colleague to be able to walk them through the work ethics or how the work should be done.
18:01 So they are suffering a lot. And this is just to mention the non-diagnosable issues that will happen after even non-verbal or non-physical bullying.
18:13 The diagnosable ones, people getting into substance abuse just to feel accepted or just to be able to forget about their troubles.
18:24 People landed in suicide and people getting depressed or developing some form of anxiety disorder.
18:32 Some of the very severe outcomes of even the non-physical abuse.
18:37 And so by all standards, abuse is wrong, whether it is physical or non-physical.
18:43 Right, Doc, I know that there are supposed to be counselling units in our schools.
18:49 So Dr. Ante clearly said that sometimes those who are expected to enforce the school rules to ensure that students are being protected are the ones who end up bullying the students themselves.
19:01 And today I want to go very raw and unedited.
19:06 I had a personal experience of where a teacher in particular, just like you said, just set her eyes on me, said very unpalatable things about me to my other colleagues for no apparent reason.
19:21 And I remember being very broken.
19:25 So things like, oh, you want to get a prize in this school, you never get a prize.
19:29 Things like, oh, you see this girl, she pretends to be a Christian.
19:33 She's not a Christian.
19:34 I mean, for no apparent reason.
19:36 And these are things that really broke me.
19:38 But here I am as a young student and I don't know who to turn to.
19:43 This is a teacher. This is somebody who has a certain supervisory role over me.
19:48 There is no safe space for a lot of students to go to, to run to, to report such issues.
19:55 Dr. Ante, why are our counselling units not functioning?
20:00 What do we know to be the problem?
20:09 Hello, Dr. Ante. I think Dr. Ante dropped.
20:12 All right. Too bad. All right, Doc. So let me let me come to you then.
20:16 I just wanted him to establish for us what the situation is like in the schools.
20:20 But since I still have you, let's talk about the solutions here.
20:23 What do students do in circumstances like this?
20:29 Who do they talk to? Because largely we know that the counselling departments in many of our schools don't function properly.
20:35 So what is the way of escape and how can parents pick cues?
20:40 That's the most important thing for me, because if you have a child who is not talking about being bullied,
20:44 how do you as a parent pick cues and what kind of help do you offer your child if they're being bullied?
20:52 Well, several levels of help is available.
20:55 And the first and the immediate one is to talk to your school counsellor.
21:01 Unfortunately, most school counsellors have schooled in the country themselves.
21:07 They have been victims of bullying.
21:10 And so I have had instances when these young people said, I reported to the school counsellor,
21:16 I reported to my teacher and they brushed it off.
21:20 They said, oh, you'll grow out of it. One day you'll be a senior and all of this will be over.
21:25 And it's it's broke my heart.
21:28 And so there has to be a whole paradigm shift of what bullying is, the impact.
21:33 If people know the negative impact, they would better be in a position to stop it and stop that cycle.
21:41 And so school counsellors should get periodic training as and when it is necessary.
21:45 You don't employ a school counsellor and they are there years, they don't get any refresher training.
21:52 So every school head should take it upon him or herself to give periodic training to their school counsellors.
22:00 There is other there are other things that help in terms of training some of the student themselves to be peer counsellors.
22:07 And in our universities, it is very, very much effective.
22:12 KUIC where I lecture, the KUIC counselling centre has a lot of peer counsellors.
22:18 And these are students who voluntarily want to get some training in counselling that they can pick early signs of bullying or whatever mental health issues in their colleague.
22:30 And it is because some some students or some some young people feel more comfortable confiding in their colleagues.
22:38 And then these counsellors, these peer counsellors have been trained on how to further escalate the issue to a to a counsellor or a senior person.
22:47 So it will be a good thing to even bring the peer counselling approach even to our secondary school levels.
22:54 That colleagues or students, classmates can report some of these issues, first of all, to their classmates before it is even escalated.
23:03 And then parents should be very mindful of their their words in school.
23:08 You would have to consciously make a conscious effort to take particular attention of subtle changes happening in your child.
23:16 If they come home and they suddenly are jumpy, they start to very small or minor noises around them.
23:25 They are struggling with sleep. They are consistently having nightmares, screaming in their sleep and having night terrors and all that.
23:34 In a child who previously was not so. And then also declining academic standards.
23:41 These are very key and early signs of bullying, sometimes in the short list when the child is already involved in substances of abuse and all that.
23:51 But the early signs are the changes you should pick in your child.
23:54 Talk to them when you go to visit them during these visiting Sundays.
23:59 Don't just be interested in the food you sent to them and all that, but quiz them about how things are going and let them know that you can trust them.
24:07 Some of these children are afraid that if I tell my mother or I tell my father they are going to report it,
24:14 they are going to report this senior and the bullying will not even be worse.
24:18 They are afraid of the repercussions of reporting.
24:21 But if the school authorities will set a scapegoat of punishing a senior who has bullied a junior,
24:27 it will be more easy for the younger ones to report bullying.
24:32 And eventually we will be able to stop that culture of bullying in our schools.
24:37 I like that you bring in the issue of a scapegoat because just before I came into the studio,
24:43 and this was a chit-chat we were having in the newsroom and we were talking about what kind of signal this whole process will send to people who bully in other senior high schools.
24:56 So there are those who have the view that we need to punish this senior, punish him so that people understand that you can't get away with bullying.
25:04 If he has to go to jail, he has to go to jail.
25:07 And there are those who say probably he could be a victim of bullying himself, so he may need counseling.
25:12 But from where you stand as a psychiatrist, how do you think we can send a signal, a very strong one as such,
25:20 to other bullies in high school while ensuring that this one who has bullied another person is also not lost to the system and eventually he is reformed?
25:34 Yes, the fact that he himself or a bully has been a victim of bullying does not change the fact that the act is wrong.
25:44 We are gradually becoming a society that gloats over wrongdoing.
25:51 What is wrong must be punished.
25:53 It is how the punishment is done that makes the difference, that pushes that child away and makes them worse off than they were before.
26:01 But if, for instance, you have made this child understand that these are the negative impact or effect of the bullying you did,
26:09 and you actually list them and how they would even affect him himself as the perpetrator.
26:16 And because of that, you are going to receive punishment A, B, C, D, so that other people do not follow in your step.
26:24 And of course, these punishments, as much as possible, should not affect the academics of the perpetrator as well.
26:33 Like dismissal is not recommended because then you get a school dropout who may be, what do you call it,
26:42 fall into substances of abuse, fall into armed robbery and all that.
26:46 But ensure that the punishment is such that they will still be in school and it will not affect their fiscal health.
26:55 And then they will come back to continue their education.
26:57 And then in addition, the person gets ongoing counselling, both the perpetrator and the...
27:03 Sorry, I have to interject.
27:05 I know a lot of people would disagree with you on the dismissal bit, but I'll come for us to finish it up.
27:09 I've just been joined by the head of the Public Relations Unit of the Ghana Education Service, Cassandra Chumampofo.
27:15 Thank you so much for agreeing to speak to me, ma'am.
27:18 But let's start off on this note.
27:21 Does the GES have further information about this incident, when it occurred, how it happened?
27:27 Do you mind sharing with us briefly, please?
27:31 Good morning to you, Benis.
27:32 Good morning to your viewers and the listeners.
27:37 With regards to the incident, we know that it happened around Thursday, June, early July.
27:49 We have actually invited them to come.
27:52 Information we gathered from the head is that when it happened, he quickly took action.
27:58 And that is what we commented him on in the statement.
28:01 And then it looks like the students that recorded decided to post, I think yesterday or three days ago,
28:11 on one of their student platforms, and that's how it went viral.
28:15 We have invited them in.
28:16 We will be meeting them in the afternoon.
28:18 And so whatever details they wish, we will also...
28:22 I'm sorry, just for some clarity, when you say "them," do you mean the victim and...
28:27 The school authorities, the victim, the culprit, I mean, the guys that performed the act, the ones that recorded,
28:35 I mean, everybody that is involved in this issue.
28:39 So when I say "them," that's the people I'm referring to.
28:42 Right.
28:43 So, I mean, this is...
28:45 And I have just discussed that with Dr. Ruth Uso-Enchi,
28:47 President of the Psychiatric Association of Ghana, and Dr. Peter Ante, Executive Director of IFES,
28:52 that we've been talking about how over the years, bullying has been normalized in our senior high schools.
28:57 I know the GES has been working in ensuring that these things...
29:02 I know that when students go to first year, for example, they're taken through the system,
29:07 they're given advice, they're told, "This is not right. Don't do that."
29:11 And there are counseling departments that are meant to, you know, deal with the excesses, if there are any,
29:17 or the deviants, those who do not stick to the rules.
29:20 How effective has that been in recent times?
29:25 Thank you, Bennet, and you are very right.
29:27 We have our processes in our various schools.
29:30 We have our code of... full code of conduct.
29:32 I mean, if you are a first year student, when you get to the school,
29:35 the very first thing that we give to you is the school code of conduct.
29:39 It's a big part of our admission process.
29:41 We give it to you at the early stage.
29:43 During orientation, they are taken through the do's and don'ts and all of that.
29:48 There are expectations in the school.
29:50 They take them through.
29:51 Occasionally, in the school, through the guidance and counseling coordinators,
29:55 also remind them of their school code of conduct.
30:00 When it comes to bullying, yes, we know it's been there,
30:04 and so we keep reminding them that you will not do it.
30:08 In the school code of conduct, individuals...
30:12 Now, let me quickly say this, that we are almost done with the harmonized
30:18 or comprehensive code of conduct for all schools.
30:21 Okay.
30:23 We have the school code of conduct, but it's individual-based.
30:28 So you realize that the sanctions for this particular offense in school A
30:33 might be different from school B.
30:36 And so we sat down and said, "No, we should have one general code of conduct
30:42 that will be used in all our schools."
30:46 We are almost done.
30:47 I know on Thursday, my director general will leave before council,
30:52 and we will seek council validation and final approval
30:55 and send the schools to use them so that individuals will not be using their own school.
30:59 But regardless, the individual school code of conduct,
31:03 again, is against violence, assaults, and bullying.
31:08 In the code of conduct, depending on the magnitude,
31:11 you are suspended, you are given some internal work to do,
31:16 you are deported.
31:19 In extreme cases, you can even be dismissed.
31:22 That is when the board and even the council has approved.
31:28 And so we have our processes.
31:30 In terms of reporting channels, we also do have,
31:33 right from the prefect to the housemaster,
31:37 to the guidance and council coordinators to the head,
31:41 we have our reporting channels.
31:43 But again, we also do acknowledge that sometimes the students,
31:48 they are, some might also fear.
31:51 They feel that, "Hey, if I should go and report,
31:53 'Hey, this is what would happen to me after.'"
31:57 And so they tend to keep to themselves.
31:59 But we keep encouraging them to come out and let us know.
32:03 And so for bullying, every now and then,
32:05 the head will drumbeat that that is not accepted in the school.
32:12 - Right. We've just received a statement from the Addis Ababa College.
32:15 Let me just read that, and then I'll come back to you
32:17 as we wrap up this conversation.
32:20 I would also be taking some of your comments as well.
32:22 Then people are reaching out to me,
32:24 wanting to share their own experiences of bullying in high school.
32:28 Hopefully we'll make time to do that during the interactive segment.
32:32 But this is relief from position as housemaster.
32:36 I regret to inform you that you've been relieved from your position
32:40 as quick housemaster.
32:42 I hope I got the pronunciation right.
32:44 With immediate effect, you may be reinstated
32:47 as housemaster based on the outcome of the investigation.
32:51 You did not deliver as expected as housemaster
32:56 as far as this video is concerned.
33:00 And this is signed by the headmaster.
33:01 So, ma'am, Cassandra, this is just a statement released
33:06 by Addis Ababa College asking the housemaster of the house
33:10 where this occurred to step aside while investigations continue.
33:15 It's normal practice anyway.
33:17 But you say you're meeting the school.
33:19 Do you expect that such actions be taken while you engage them?
33:23 Or you'd rather they hold on and then you just finish up
33:27 with your interaction with the school
33:29 and the police's investigation as well?
33:31 Yes, we know the police are taking the matter up as well.
33:34 In fact, that's what we've indicated in our statement.
33:38 You know, with regards to this housemaster issue,
33:43 that hasn't really come up.
33:45 I am sure it's not a statement.
33:46 There might have been an internal--
33:47 A memo, sure, sure.
33:49 You're right.
33:50 Exactly.
33:50 You're right.
33:51 Yeah, so it's not a statement.
33:52 You're right.
33:53 I told you that it happened earlier
33:54 and then we've been discussing.
33:56 Had this video not come out-- and it happens.
33:59 Many times we do have issues happening in the school.
34:01 That's why they are managers of the school.
34:03 Once they have the code of conduct, they have their rules.
34:05 Yes, the head has the right to also go
34:09 through whatever process, you know.
34:11 And so this particular one, I do not need the letter.
34:16 I have not seen it.
34:17 And I'm very sure that in the action when we meet them,
34:20 these issues would come up again,
34:21 particularly with the housemaster issue.
34:23 But we-- regardless of what has happened,
34:25 now we have taken the matter up.
34:27 We stepped in as management of Ghana Education Service.
34:31 And so we have asked the regional director
34:33 to launch a full-scale investigation.
34:35 Whatever has been done before would again
34:39 begin the process again and then get
34:41 to the root and then see how we would
34:43 curtail these issues in our school.
34:45 Just for clarity's sake-- and let me just read a comment
34:48 by one of our viewers on Facebook.
34:50 And he says, "This video is not only bullying.
34:53 It's physical assault.
34:54 Anything could have happened to that student who had his head
34:57 smashed against the bed.
34:59 That bully must be made to pay for his iniquities.
35:02 His parents should be ashamed for the poor job
35:04 they've done on him so far.
35:05 A well-bred up, cultured, and mannered young man
35:07 wouldn't do this to another schoolmate."
35:10 And that's a conversation for another day
35:11 about upbringing and how it results in student behavior.
35:14 But his concern is that this student must be made to pay.
35:18 Cassandra, you are running your own internal investigations.
35:22 This does not mean that the police will stop this, right?
35:26 Of course.
35:27 Yes.
35:28 Yes.
35:28 We indicated even in our press release
35:33 that we are-- yes, we hope that--
35:37 let me-- yes.
35:39 We said management has directed the regional director
35:42 of education to liaise with the school or so which
35:45 then the relevant law enforcement agencies
35:47 to investigate for appropriate actions to be taken.
35:51 And so yes, the police taking over,
35:55 we are happy and we will collaborate with them
36:00 to get to the conclusion of this matter.
36:03 Because apart from just as whoever commented said,
36:08 it goes beyond bullying.
36:10 And so definitely whatever charges there is,
36:13 the police would also do it.
36:14 But administratively, as Ghana Education Center,
36:16 we would also not stop.
36:19 The police can do it.
36:20 Yes, we can also do it administratively.
36:22 Right.
36:23 Here's what I like to do.
36:24 I mean, we'd like to get interactive with those
36:26 who are watching us.
36:27 So you can call us.
36:29 It's not time to open the phone lines.
36:31 But I think I want to do that because of the subject
36:33 and the concern by parents.
36:35 So the numbers to call will be on your screen.
36:38 Just call us and share your thoughts.
36:39 But while we wait for the calls, Dr. Ruse.
36:42 So there's a gentleman who's just commented on our Facebook.
36:45 And he says that this young man must be made to pay
36:48 because there's a criminal aspect to this.
36:50 This could have ended up in the death of somebody's child.
36:54 And let me just say that there's a story currently
36:56 which is unresolved.
36:59 A certain school here in Accra,
37:02 where a young boy who was brought from London, I think.
37:06 He is a twin.
37:08 They couldn't find him on a certain day.
37:11 They realized the boy was dead.
37:13 According to what we hear,
37:14 there are allegations that he was bullied
37:16 and pushed off of the high-rise building.
37:20 And it's really disturbing for many parents
37:24 who are taking their children to school
37:26 and asking the big question,
37:27 how safe is my child with other people's children?
37:32 Or what kind of safe space is being created
37:36 in the school so that children who are even abusive
37:40 do not have the room to operate?
37:42 Doc, before I brought in Cassandra,
37:45 you were saying that dismissal would not be an option
37:48 because we want to help that young person
37:52 who's bullied another person get reformed
37:55 and not end up being worse off than he is now.
37:59 But there's a criminal aspect to this, right?
38:02 So how do we handle it?
38:06 If he has to go to jail, you still have to leave school.
38:08 He will be dismissed, but that does not mean
38:11 he won't get education elsewhere.
38:12 I will not let the police do their job,
38:17 investigate and do their job.
38:19 But there is a part GES will have to play
38:22 and that is where I probably can come in.
38:26 Imagine if this young man, the perpetrator,
38:31 is just dropped out of school.
38:35 Just think about all the possible things
38:36 that will happen to him.
38:38 He ends up on the streets.
38:39 If we remember some years back,
38:42 that young military officer, I've forgotten the name,
38:45 that got lynched, who knows?
38:48 - Major Mahama.
38:49 - Yes, these are people who have been involved
38:54 in all sorts of bullying all their life.
38:56 So beating another human being to death,
38:59 it's not a big deal for them.
39:01 It's not a problem for them.
39:03 In fact, it translates to how people beat up criminals
39:08 to death and all that.
39:09 There are rules in the country
39:11 and how you would have to deal with even a criminal.
39:15 You are not the police officer.
39:17 You are not the law enforcing agent.
39:19 And I'm sure that there are rules laid out
39:21 on how to handle some of these things.
39:24 But people will rather kill other people
39:26 and that is barbaric.
39:28 You doing the killing, you probably are not better.
39:33 You're not better than the perpetrator.
39:35 So all I am saying is that there are several forms
39:39 of punitive measures that will be meted out.
39:42 But I am just signing a sign of caution
39:46 that letting this young man drop out of school
39:49 should not be one of our options.
39:52 By all means, he should be punished,
39:54 but we should not let him end up on the street.
39:56 He becomes more dangerous,
39:58 comes after us as adults, other children.
40:01 He gets even the opportunity to become a waste
40:04 of a joint bad group into substance abuse
40:07 or he may even lose his life.
40:09 So please, yes, he should be punished,
40:12 but I think that the punishment
40:14 should not deprive him of his academics.
40:17 And some of the things that we can do
40:19 to care this menace in our school
40:24 is to reward other students that report
40:27 actions of bullying around us.
40:30 Most of the students are very much scared
40:33 that they themselves will be a focus
40:38 for bullying when they go to report.
40:40 But what if in the open at one school gathering
40:44 at an assembly, we're able to name another junior
40:47 who was the one that actually reported the bullying
40:51 and give him some medal, give him some cash donation,
40:54 give him something to reward him.
40:56 It would also encourage other students
40:59 to report such bullying.
41:00 And I'm pleading with GIS and the police,
41:03 whatever is the outcome of this investigation,
41:06 they should not pull it under the carpet.
41:08 Most of the time, some of these investigations
41:11 died naturally.
41:12 We just hear the police is investigating,
41:14 GIS is investigating,
41:16 and we never get to know the outcome.
41:18 It would make parents more confident
41:21 when we get to see that ABCD measures
41:25 were meted out to make the school environment safe.
41:29 ABCD measures were carried out
41:31 to punish the perpetrator.
41:33 And ABCD measures are being given to the victim
41:36 to support him mentally, physically, and all that.
41:40 And that will make parents more confident
41:42 that it is a safe place to send their words.
41:46 - I'm really grateful for your time this morning.
41:48 Dr. Arutha Uswe-Ntri is president
41:50 of the Psychiatric Association of Ghana.
41:52 And she has the department at Konfanote Teaching Hospital
41:56 as well.
41:56 She's just been helping us get into the mind
41:58 of somebody who bullies.
42:00 And also look at the victim, the effect.
42:04 If you missed any part of this conversation,
42:06 please do well to watch it on our YouTube.
42:09 It's very insightful.
42:10 And for you parents and guardians,
42:12 she also offers some tips on how you can identify
42:15 if your child is a victim of bullying.
42:17 So let me just end with you,
42:20 Madam Cassandra Truman-Pofo.
42:21 Dr. Aruth had a plea about the investigations
42:26 and the public being allowed to know
42:30 what the conclusions are.
42:31 But your final words on this matter,
42:32 especially for parents whose wards
42:35 are still in school as we speak.
42:37 - Let me comment on what the doctor said before she left.
42:42 I really agree with her on the fact that
42:45 those that students that report issues of bullying
42:49 might also be commended or given some kind of award
42:52 to encourage them.
42:53 And then for every one of them to know
42:55 that bullying is not something
42:57 that is affected in the school.
42:59 And I'm very sure that management
43:00 would also consider that suggestion as well.
43:03 But we also need to look at that aspect
43:05 and encourage the students.
43:07 I would finally encourage or assure our stakeholders,
43:12 our parents specifically,
43:13 that an education service is committed
43:16 to ensuring that our schools are safe.
43:19 We have that conducive environment
43:23 for effective teaching and learning to go on.
43:26 And so whatever form of bullying,
43:28 whatever form of assault,
43:30 whatever form of violence is not accepted,
43:32 they should be calm.
43:34 And then we will definitely bring closure to this matter
43:37 and we will let all of you know.
43:39 So they should be assured that the schools,
43:41 that their wards are safe with us in the school
43:44 and they would have their peace of mind to study.
43:46 - Thank you very much for your time.
43:49 Cassandra Truman-Poff is PR of Ghana Education Service.
43:52 And she's just been sharing details with us.
43:54 We understand there'll be a meeting
43:56 between school authorities,
43:57 the perpetrated victim later today.
43:59 We'll touch base with them,
44:00 furnish you with details.
44:02 And we'll do well as the media also
44:04 to keep our eyes on this story
44:06 and let you know what the conclusion of the matter is.
44:08 I know a lot of you want to comment.
44:10 I'm seeing your comments here.
44:11 All right.
44:13 So Bernard Ampoff is not too happy
44:15 with what the psychiatrist is saying,
44:17 but that is her job as a psychiatrist.
44:20 And don't forget that we want to see
44:21 the wellbeing of all children in this matter.
44:24 And so keep the comments coming through.
44:27 Hopefully when we are able to open the phone lines,
44:31 we will get your thoughts on this
44:32 very, very important subject matter.
44:34 right?
44:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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