Johannesburg – The Gauteng Department of Education urged principals and educators on Monday, to respond appropriately when cases of bullying, violence and intimidation were reported.
“Ignoring these reports makes the victim feel more vulnerable and subjected to secondary trauma of adults that show a cavalier attitude. We also appeal to the community to protect the school’s property and report and criminal activity,” MEC of Education Panyaza Lesufi said.
Various cases of bullying have been reported in the media over the past weeks, including a learner dying from alleged bullying and a primary school learner injecting other learners with needles.
“A spate of violent incidents gives an impression that our schools are under siege or have become war zones. These acts of violence in our schools are deplorable and should be condemned. They range from corporal punishment, bullying, killing of scholar patrollers to cases of assault between learners,” Lesufi said.
The department said they were in the advanced stages of investigations to understand the reason leading to some of the reported cases of violence in schools.