Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) has said that the board has come across instances of students seeking to transfer schools due to incidences of bullying in some schools while requesting Heads of Institutions to take all possible measures to create a conducive environment for learners and ensure that no child becomes a victim of bullying/ragging.

The NBSE in a press release from DIPR today said that every act of ragging/bullying, major or minor, is beyond the limits of decency, morality, and humanity.

“The prevalence of bullying and victimization among school-going children is a grave concern, which has severe consequences in both the short and long term.”

Adding that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports that bullying has a significant negative effect on children’s mental health, quality of life, and academic achievement, it added that children who are frequently bullied are nearly three times more likely to feel like an outsider at school and more than twice as likely to miss school as those who are not frequently bullied.

Accordingly, it said that “there is an urgent need for institutions to have a School Counsellor to support students socially, emotionally, and academically when facing challenges that can prevent them from fully thriving within the school setting.”

“As such, Heads of Institutions have been reminded to have a robust Anti-Bullying and Ragging Committee Refer General Rules, Page 50 and to have a Zero Tolerance policy in place, to curb the menace of bullying and ragging in schools/hostels,” it said.

The NBSE further requested Heads of Institutions to take all possible measures to create a conducive environment for the learners and ensure that no child becomes a victim of bullying/ragging.