Department’s answer to bullying in schools
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) and Department of Social Development has joined forces in a bid to rid schools of bullying.
This comes, once again, after bullying made national headlines with reports of learners violently attacking their peers while learners from different schools attacking each other.
Gershwin Chuenyane, spokesperson for the GDE, says that the department conducted a colloquium on bullying in an attempt to improve interventions.
“At this colloquium, experts agreed that it is important that learners be encouraged to report bullying and to parents and school authorities, who were also encouraged to take complaints seriously.
“Recognising that the scope of the Code of Conduct is limited, the department has developed a draft exemplar anti-bullying policy, which is in the consultation phase, to assist schools to develop their own policies and better manage bullying,” says Chuenyane.
In 2012, violent behaviour, which led to the recent shooting of an alleged bully in Vosloorus, saw auxiliary social worker, Sibongile Masilela, from Mercy Haven, calling on to the Department of Education to place qualified social workers in schools.
The Department of Education appears to have heeded the call and has, together with the Department of Social Development, allocated 25 social workers who will support the victims of bullying and other forms of school violence.
Other interventions by the department include signing a memorandum of understanding with Childline to provide guidance and counselling to learners in Gauteng on a 24-hour basis.
A partnership with faith-based organisations has also been established that have created a community-based network of pastoral care to learners local schools.
“We have developed posters and pamphlets explaining bullying, which are being distributed to schools and used in the parental training workshops across the province,” says Chuenyane.
