The Management of Beautiful Beginning Academy, in Gudu District, Abuja, has denied allegations of bullying among students as captured in a clip that went viral on Monday.
In the video, some senior students of the school, allegedly bullied an SS2 student, only identified as Imtiyas, tying a chain around his neck and ordering him to lie on the floor.
However, the school Principal, Aaron Ipke, who spoke to newsmen at the school on Tuesday, explained that the students involved were engaged in a playful performance misinterpreted as evidence of bullying, adding that the school had an open-door policy that allowed students to share any concerns with the authorities.
Ikpe added that the students arranged for the clip to be recorded on a device provided by the school, noting other students in the hostel watched the performance, proving there was no bullying.
“Categorically, I will state that there was no bullying case here at BBA. There is no bullying case whatsoever. Whatever you saw, I will personally say that it was a make-believe, you know? So, there was no case of bullying.
“I will put it straight to you, and I can give you reasons. We were in school at the time. And the way we run our school, we operate an open-door policy. Students, even from the nursery, come to the MD’s office, to the principal’s office, to express any concerns they might have. We don’t have that kind of bureaucracy. So, if there was any bullying at all, at least one student would have heard about it and reported it to us.”
“It wasn’t a case of bullying. They staged a play. Interestingly, they did it in their hostel, and there were other students around watching. So, if it was bullying, are you telling me that those other students watched this ‘play’ and none of them came to report it to us? That in itself proves it was a play. The students did it innocently, though perhaps taken to a certain level. Interestingly, let me tell you, the students actually arranged for the tablet they used to record it. The tablet is usually given to them during learning hours and later retrieved,” he added.
Ipke also expressed shock at the allegation of bullying by family members of the SS2 student, noting that the school had never recorded a case of bullying in its 14 years of existence.
“No such report was made until the sisters came on Monday to tell us there was a bullying case in the school. In fact, my MD was actually leaving that evening when they came. Out of curiosity, she asked, ‘Okay, what is this about?’ They said it was a bullying case, and she was shocked, just like the rest of us.”
“Then she called, ‘Okay, what happened?’ They showed us a video. We were like, ‘Bullied? This kind of thing happened? How? When? Where?’ You know, those are the questions, because it’s quite unusual. In 14 years of existence, we’ve never had a situation like this, or a case of this nature,” the Principal said.
