Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R
The only thing I can see right now is this: The poorer students get picked on because they're always busy working and don't socialize as much as the other students do. The fact that they're seemingly always working might lead some students to think they never do anything else (like, say, keep up good personal hygiene - hence the "You stink" bullying  ). So scholarships would free up poorer students from having to work as much (if at all), and hence enable them to socialize normally, thus breaking down the boundaries causing the bullying. |
I think it's a lot more basic than this. Right now, the only reason they're able to attend the school is because they're getting hand-outs. It's like people who buy their groceries using food stamps. And because of that, they are treated quite literally like "second-class citizens"; forced to work, not allowed to attend any clubs, and so on. The need to work along with the social isolation reduces the likelihood of their being able to accel in academics. So not only are they poor, but now they're also "dumb". The whole system perpetuates the separation between the haves and the have-nots.
So, with the new program, the students would be full students, with all the privileges therein. No one would even have to know they get a scholarship; they're exactly like everyone else. Their full tuition is paid for. So there is no reason or basis for anyone to be bullied.
Basically: the current system is like making all those affected wear a sign that says "Kick me; I'm poor". Sure, they could go after the people doing the kicking, but the system is what's imposing the signs in the first place. Better to fix the root cause.
(Edit: I made a few minor edits to the wording, but the meaning should be the same.)