‘Say No to Bullying’

Her Majesty Queen Rania is taking on the scourge of bullying in schools, which is admittedly widespread not only in Jordan, but also worldwide.

Even though not much attention is being paid to bullying by the public, it remains a dangerous phenomenon that is, silently and openly, affecting the lives of so many students, girls and boys alike, negatively impacting and undermining their learning abilities, and driving some to suicide.

It is well established by educators, sociologists and psychologists that bullying is a secret inhibitor of learning that suffocates students' abilities to learn and instills within them fears and anxieties that lower their IQ levels.

For this reason, Queen Rania paid a visit to Sweileh Secondary School for Girls on Sunday to lend valuable support to the ongoing campaign against bullying.

“Say No to Bullying” is a campaign launched by Jordanian composer and singer Aziz Maraka, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Madrasati; an initiative launched by Her Majesty in 2008 to improve learning environments in Jordanian public schools.

As the Queen pointed out, bullying comes in different shapes and forms, and belatedly in the growing cyber mode. The solution of this huge problem requires wider participation by the public, school administration officers, teachers, parents, student clubs and other stakeholders.

Bullying must be combated in whatever form it takes, especially now with social media capturing the time and preoccupation of the young and the old alike.

The cost of the neglect of this phenomenon is, indeed, high. Thanks to the Queen's own involvement and participation in the campaign combating bullying, there is every hope that the problem could be now effectively dealt with and nipped in the bud.