Willowmoore High says no to bullying

Following a bullying incident at the school on Valentine’s Day, Willowmoore High School held an anti-bullying awareness day on February 25.

“On Valentine’s Day, learners were sharing messages. The messages were supposed to be printed out but there were instances in the articles where learners were bullying each other,” said Tidimalo Makoe of the school’s School Based Support Team (SBST).

Following this incident, the house captains who were in charge of the Valentine’s Day event were stripped off their blazers. They were also told to organise an anti-bullying awareness campaign to educate learners and themselves about the effects of bullying.

Principal Lorna Sanders told the City Times bullying seems to be prevalent at the moment.

“It’s got to do a lot with social media. People feel they can say whatever they want and no one will hold them accountable.

“We are working on educating the learners about their responsibilities. There’s a policy that guides the learners on the responsible use of the internet and their devices,” she said.

Bullying has been a thorny issue at most South African schools. Last year, the 1000 Women Trust revealed that 57% of children have been bullied at some point in high school.

Sanders said they haven’t had extreme cases as they deal with the incidents immediately when they are reported.

Makoe told the paper that the bullying incidents were emotional rather than physical.

“We’ve had incidents where learners victimise and make each other feel negative about school. They tease and laugh at how others speak. The incidents include name-calling, posting derogatory memes and photos of other people,” she said.

She explained that the SBST offers counselling services to both the victim and perpetrator. She said the school has taken a strong stance against bullying.

“We have a school counsellor. The bully and victim are sent for counselling. It’s important to understand the root cause of this behaviour to make the bully understand that what they are doing is wrong.

“We interview the victim, bully and everyone involved. We then take the necessary procedures to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“If needed, they will all attend counselling. Whatever the recomendation, they will be punished. The punishment could range from suspension, removal from class and involving parents.”

Makoe said the school’s teachers also play an important role in trying to nip this behaviour in the bud.

“In group settings, the followers don’t understand that they are engaging in bullying. They think that they are supporting their friend or it’s a joke.

“With such campaigns and in the classrooms, we as teachers reiterate that bullying isn’t just you saying something. It’s also supporting the bully.”

Marieanne Chikaunga, organiser of the campaign, said she has learnt a lot from incident.

“We want to ensure everybody that bullying will never happen again. This has taught me to stand up for other people.

“In primary school I was bullied and I had no one to stand up for me. Now as a senior, I must make sure that everybody stands up for what’s right.”

Also Read: Bullying in SA schools: What all parents need to know

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