An analysis of bullying in schools as presented by two Ugandan novels

Abstract

This paper analyzes the depictions of bullying in schools in two selected Ugandan novels: Goretti Kyomuhendo’s The First Daughter (1996) and Mary Karooro Okurut’s The invisible Weevil (1998). The study is about the vices that education transmits to the learners depending on the socio-cultural and political context. One of them that education transmits is the bullying of fellow students. Bullying is both physical and verbal violence and it can affect the emotional, social, and physical wellbeing of students (and staff). The study adopts a qualitative content analysis of two Ugandan novels to give interpretation of the text data. We have used qualitative content analysis to identify the theme and the main characters in the two novels and made interpretations. Content analysis helped us understand bullying as practiced in schools. The study found that the schools presented by both novels see bullying as severe and traumatizing. Both boys and girls are bullied, and it affects their emotional, social, and physical wellbeing. This behavior is probably a result of global influence in our school system. Traditional Ugandan education was characterized by close social, ethical, collective orientation and ensured progressive character development of the child. Some of the values transmitted in traditional Ugandan education included community-orientation, love and respect for others. The vice of bullying is likely to have originated from the formal type of education which is more individualistic oriented. We recommend that a more effective education system for Uganda is one that combines or inculcates the traditional values of community-orientation, love and respect for others with elements of modern education.