EDITOR – Children are sent to school in the hope that they will emerge from it as educated, responsible citizens.
Like all organisations, schools have rules in order to operate effectively and have the authority to implement them -or so it used to be.
Today this is not necessarily so.
Students know there can be no consequences for unacceptable, disruptive behaviour.
In all too many instances, when challenged, students make unfounded claims of physical abuse and/or racism.
In no time, these incidents go viral on social media.
Parents, many of whom have abdicated all responsibility for rearing their children, are quick to involve the press, education authorities and institutions like the Human Rights Commission and they shift all blame to others.
In most cases, the specifics are never verified beforehand with the schools, who are not afforded any right of reply, before reputational damage is done and the falsely accused teachers are publicly pilloried.
Certainly, no follow up is done afterwards to set the record straight and an apology, when warranted, never occurs.
This, after all, is not news.
In essence, the ability of schools and teachers to function effectively is being undermined in a situation where learners are allowed, if not encouraged, to see themselves as victims in any encounter with authority and discipline.
Bruno Ganter.
EDITOR’S COMMENT – The NEWS’ recent articles involving local schools; Assault on learner probed and GDE investigates learners’ behaviour, included the comment of both Edenvale High School’s principal, Dr Larry Harmer and Edenglen High School’s principal, Trevor Weinerlein.
The NEWS also requested comment from the Edenvale High teacher’s legal representative, Mariska Smit, who declined to comment stating, “We cannot comment on the matter as this stage as it is sub judice.”
The NEWS also requested comment from the Gauteng Department of Education on both stories.
The GDE’s comment on the Edenglen High story was published in which the GDE confirmed it had launched an investigation.
The GDE did not provide comment on the Edenvale High matter.
The NEWS strives to always remain fair and objective in its reporting by requesting comment from all parties involved and publishing the comment of those who provide a response.
