‘Bullying should be discussed in classrooms’

South Jakarta Police said on Friday it would summon several parties involved in the alleged bullying practices at SMA 70 high school in Bulungan, South Jakarta.

“We have received one report of a bullying case from Kebayoran Baru Police,” South Jakarta crime unit chief Comr. Adj. Budi Irawan said.

“The report said that senior students slapped junior students on the head,” Budi added.

South Jakarta Police’s women and children protection unit chief Comr. Adj. Fitria Mega said that the unit was looking into the case thoroughly.

A group of parents of students attending the high school filed a report on Thursday with the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) against what they saw as systemic bullying at the school.

The constant bullying practices revolve around a fund-raising drive for the Bulungan Cup (Bulcup), an annual prestigious arts and sports competition for high school students across the country that costs the school more than Rp 1 billion (US$113,000) each year.

The competition, begun in 1999, is traditionally organized by senior students.

The fund raising is conducted by one appointed coordinator for each class and if the coordinator fails to raise the necessary funds, they are punished by the seniors.

According to the parents, earlier this month, eight junior students had been transferred to other schools by their parents due to safety concerns.

The parents pointed out that without serious efforts from the school management and the Jakarta Education Agency the current situation was difficult to change.

“The school principal and the school committee have shown no sympathy for the victims. No one representing the school has visited victims to show their support,” a parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Jakarta Post.

Education expert Winarno Surakhmat said that teachers, parents and the government had added to the culture of bullying.

“Ignorant teachers, who don’t understand how far bullying can affect their students’ personalities in the long run, have contributed to maintaining the culture,” he said.

Winarno added that most parents also sometimes, unconsciously, bullied their children.

“But, the most important aspect is, that the culture of bullying exists because it has been tolerated by the existing system,” he said.

Winarno emphasized the importance of putting the subject of bullying into the curriculum.

“It has to be discussed in the classrooms. Teachers should also be able to play the role of students’ friends,” he said. (swd)