We applaud the High Court for addressing what has long been an issue in our education instructions -- that of ragging and bullying -- by issuing a policy for its prevention.
It goes without saying that ragging and bullying have been a mainstay in the lives of students in the country. Bullying has caused, and continues to cause, untold damage on the psyche of the student on the receiving end of such behaviour.
There should be no space for bullying in this day and age; chalking it up to it being part of the culture is simply not good enough and is unsympathetic to the countless students who suffer in silence as a result of this so-called cultural component.
With that said, the High Court directive has not been finalized yet, and while we urge the policy to be implemented, it is important to not use this as a tool for suppressing students from expressing themselves and learning how to interact with peers. It is vital to identify what is truly malicious ragging, with the intent to hurt and humiliate and differentiate that from students just poking fun at each other.
Moving forward, we hope that the authorities concerned and the relevant stakeholders at all of our education institutions take the issue of bullying seriously and, beyond just implementing policies to punish those who engage in ragging, also create an environment where such actions become more difficult.
Ultimately, the students of today are the leaders of tomorrow; the importance of their well-being, both physical and psychological, cannot be stated enough.
