A heartfelt message to all English students studying at an English university

While you exercise your democratic right to demonstrate today, I can assure you it is better being a student now than it was during the 1990s.

Bullying was rife in places of further/higher education and workplaces until the turn of the century, when the European Union Human Rights Act came into play.

Even then, it wasn’t until the change in employment rights in 2006 that all people got the protection they deserve, at both work and all education institutions.

The sad truth is many students and people at work committed suicide. It really was that bad.

Even when many appealed to the student advisor or others for help, if the advisor was close friends of the students/people you were complaining about, it was made clear they didn’t want to know, saying to one patronisingly: “You just need to make new friends.”

Sadly even when many graduated, many former students/employees still had their former tormentors causing trouble, such as sending poisonous letters or ensuring their references were spiteful, despite the clear fact their former employees were terrible to them and had a long list of people leaving beforehand after receiving one public humiliation too many.

This was also the case with many hairdressing apprentices and students who were dealing with fellow students who were happy to pay a contibution towards, say a sports class, when other students were operating those classes but found ways not to pay if they don't like the new student taking over.

In such cases, it was only when the police, the courts or other legal enforcers were involved, that such behavior was finally dealt with.

Some people were exposed in the newspapers as being unsuitable men/women who clearly did abuse their authority.

None of today’s protestors will go through an experience like Tom Brown’s Schooldays. For more information about this, which was clearly based on the author’s experience at an educational establishment, click here.

I’m so grateful this is no longer the case.

Such bullying destroyed good people and prevented others in achieving their true potential in life.

Again, many men and women, boys and girls, simply couldn’t cope with the added belief that you must have a ‘stiff upper lip’.

Now, quite rightfully, that’s seen as nonsense.

I’m so glad it’s finally recognised that bullying can have a dramatic effect on people, years after the incident.

So as you protest, please remember, there may not have been any tutorial fees in the 1990s but you certainly paid for it in another way.

Not everybody can be Mr/Ms Popular.

Light and Peace

Andria

PS please don’t hesitate to visit my other site by clicking here.