Abe: Suspend bullies from schools
Is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is finally seeing the light about the bullying issue?
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told education minister Bummei Ibuki on Monday to make use of a policy of suspending bullying students from schools — a prescription to be proposed by a government panel this week to stem bullying at schools, Ibuki said.
“I want you to speedily notify every education board by organizing what can be done under current laws,” Ibuki quoted Abe as telling him during their talks at the prime minister’s official residence.
Suspending students who bully others at schools has pros and cons among educators as it concerns the rights of students to receive an education, but Abe’s willingness to rely on the method is likely to affect policies implemented at schools.
Abe separately told reporters he told Ibuki to provide thorough guidance to children who bully schoolmates because “we have to get schools and classrooms back to where fathers, mothers and children can feel safe.”
As for the treatment of those who are suspended from school over bullying, Abe said, “It would be natural to follow up on them as the suspension measure is for educational guidance and is part of education.”
It sounds great, but I’ll wait and see if schools actually start acting on these words before giving Abe a thumbs up on this.
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I’ve been hearing about these bullying students here in Japan and I think its just right to give it considerable attention by the Japanese government. I wonder what is the stand of the Japanese government regarding foreign students, if by chance being in this kind of situation in schools.
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is this the right thing to do? getting bullies on the street would create more trouble cos the kids will have nothing better to do. [jus like the losers on Greater Manchester, liverpool etc] or if a bully was suspended, would their parents demand proof that their child is an arse, or a dedicated pupil.
how long has bullying been happening in Japan? i thought Japan had manners to respect their elders and other people. of course, taking the piss for fun is ok, cos its only for a laff] only in western countrys would i find bullying
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WujouMao:
I’d say bullying has probably existed in Japanese schools for a long long time. For some reason or another, in recent decades it has become worse. I’m guessing it probably has something to do with the elimination of corporal punishment in schools and certain children growing up with absolutely no ability to fend for themselves, but there are many more factors out there.
Japan’s semi-confucian society in which elders are to be respecting only fuels the flames of bullying in some cases. Not going against one’s superiors can sometimes lead to situations where bosses, teachers, upperclassment, and sports teammates heap abuse upon those lower than them [with impunity]. I believe a few of the recent student suicides were the result of upperclassmen or higher-ups on sports teams bullying weaker students.
Bullying is endemic to Japanese culture, and that includes schools. It would be nice if someone actually described what bullying is. Is it assigning a degrogatory nickname to a classmate? “Taxing” milk money? Social exclusion? All of these things are practiced in Japanese schools by all of the students. Teachers often set the tone, and either ignore the problem or set the tone.
Bullying exists in Western countries, too – I should know of all people. My sister’s math teacher mercilessly tormented her for a year, and apparently he chose one student in each class to bully. He was fired the next year, but only after a twenty-year teaching career.
But I don’t think Abe is talking about suspending the girls who pick on one classmate because she is too pretty or wears nicer clothes than others, because this behavior is widespread and not easily eradicated. It forms the backbone of Japanese culture.
Abe is instead talking about suspending violent “lads” as WuJaoMu suggests. I taught junior high school in Japan for five years. Every class had at least one sociopathic student who came from the wrong side of the tracks, was growing up in desperate circumstances, and had maybe two choices upon graduation at 14: the mafia or the military. The less destructive boys usually could get a construction job (it takes at least some brains) but the more violent fellows were on a one-way trip to the underworld, and would probably end up selling speed or breaking kneecaps.
But suspending these boys (and girls?) just doesn’t make sense. No one will look after them – they often don’t have parents, and school is all they have. Probably the best place for them is reform school, which, unlike its American counterpart, is a surprisingly good place to end up, if you don’t mind shining shoes and planting radishes at 6AM on a snow Hokkaido morning.
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It’s still a very late response to a prevalent problem. I hope Japan won’t be blind to the fact that there are female bullies; in my opinion, they are worse than boys.
I agree we need to focus on: one, what these bullies will do outside of school when they’re suspended; and two, what effect will removing those bullies have on students who are bullied? I know high school isn’t exactly the real world, but it is still a test of how to handle a difficult situation.
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