Social media users respond to school bullying incident
Read what some of our readers had to say:
In the wake of the article about a bullied learner whose mother cried out for help recently, Record readers weighed in with their comments on what the parent should do to save her child.
The learner, whose identity is being protected, has allegedly suffered a string of bullying incidents by other learners for over year, according to the mother, who spilled the beans about the matter.
Read the initial article here:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/04/23/mother-of-bullied-learner-cries-out-for-help/
The mother resorted to reporting the matter to the Record as she felt the school was turning a blind eye to the incidents, which left her son traumatised.
Initially, we asked our readers whether it was advisable for the mother to find her son another school or let him attend self-defence classes.
Here’s what some of our readers had to say: Morwe Alinah Bolebali had her take on the matter, saying, “Bullying is a very serious concern at schools. All schools must adopt the programmes that educate learners, teachers, community and all stakeholders about bullying. It is sad that some educators turn a blind eye when such cases are brought to their attention. In most cases the bullies are victims of bullying themselves, as a matter of fact it is vital that all parties receive counselling.”
Theresa Taljaard questioned the authorities not punishing the culprits. “Why isn’t the education department implementing punishment to these bullies? They are not there to get education, so kick them out of the school,” she suggested.
Saamiah Scoble advised according to her personal experiences. “If she can afford self-defence classes – absolutely, but the best is to change schools. I had to do the same for my son and since then he is much happier and doing very well at school. The sad thing is that some teachers and principals take bullying very lightly,” she said.
Rachelle Potts Miller criticised the Department. “The Department of Basic Education has an entire document on anti-bullying on their website. It is their duty to do something about it. Furthermore, 40 per cent of South African learners have experienced violence inside of the classroom, not on the playground or in the corridors,” she explained.
The Gauteng Department of Education, as well as some organisations, have taken the necessary steps to resolve the matter.
