Bullying in educational institutions: college students' experiences

Abstract

Despite its widespread prevalence, bullying in educational institutions is not considered a serious social issue in Pakistan. Present study explores the understandings and experiences of college students about bullying and documents the status of anti-bullying interventions in educational institutions. This study is based on in-depth interviews with students and principals of private sector colleges in Pakistan. The study showcases the important aspects of bullying that hurt the educational, personal and social lives of students. The most frequent form of bullying experienced by the students constitutes verbal bullying. Bullying occurs at specific places on campuses which are less supervised by teachers and administration. Although the principals were of the view that they had zero tolerance towards bullying in their premises, they did not have any preventive measures. There is a dire need to develop a policy to address the issue of bullying in educational institutions.

Keywords: Bullying; college students; educational institutions; social issue.