Commentary: Harsh discipline alone won’t help school bullies mend their ways

HARSH DISCIPLINE HAS LITTLE INSTRUCTIVE VALUE

Traditionally, detention and suspension are common disciplinary tools schools use to deliver clear, negative consequences to perpetrators and send the message that bullying is not tolerated. Caning is also used as a last resort.

Although such disciplinary measures serve as an immediate response to misconduct, their long-term effectiveness in behaviour correction is limited. Detention may provide a temporary deterrent, but it often fails to address the underlying issues that lead to bullying.

Suspension, on the other hand, can be counterproductive. For some students, being suspended might feel like a reward, offering a break from school rather than a consequence for their actions.

Furthermore, both local and international research shows that the use of harsh discipline has little instructive value. The intended message is often masked by the physical and emotional pain, such that children comply out of fear. By themselves, traditional disciplinary measures may not help students fully understand why and how they should behave prosocially.

NEED FOR A HOLISTIC APPROACH

To effectively rehabilitate bullies, a more holistic approach that combines traditional disciplinary measures with counselling and restorative actions is needed.

Counselling can help students understand the impact of their behaviour, develop empathy, and learn better ways to interact with peers. Often, counselling may provide an inroad to unpacking and correcting the underlying issues that contributed to the bullying behaviours in the first place.

These include addressing aggression that is modelled after in the home or peer context, and supporting the bullies to find socially acceptable ways to get access to resources and peer support. Restorative practices, such as mediated conversations between the bully and the victim, can promote accountability and healing.