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South African schools need mental health care services as bullying incidents seem to be on the rise.
This is the view of education experts who spoke to The Citizen, concerned about cases reported countrywide.
Residents of Delft township in the Western Cape blocked gates at Leiden High School yesterday, demanding harsh action against pupils who forced a Grade 8 pupil to dip his head into a toilet bowl this month.
Parents of the 14 year old said authorities were slow in dealing with the alleged bullies.
Bronagh Hammond, spokesperson of the Western Cape minister of education, condemned the parents’ action and said the case was being attended to.
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“First, it is only the head of department (HOD) who can expel a pupil. Second, the school governing body has conducted a disciplinary hearing and recommended expulsion of the pupils on Friday.
“The HOD will now have the opportunity to apply his mind. The allegations that this was a racially motivated attack are unsubstantiated at this stage.”
Another incident reported was in Mpumalanga, where the department was investigating a case of two schoolgirls at Hoërskool Bergvlam in Mbombela who were assaulted by a group of pupils.
The latest statistics released by the department of basic education showed that 548 bullying cases were reported this year.
Limpopo is leading with 305 cases, followed by North West with 78, Eastern Cape with 68, KwaZulu-Natal 29, Mpumalanga 26, Gauteng 23, Western Cape 11, Northern Cape 7, while Free State recorded a single case.
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Basic education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department and other stakeholders were working around the clock to address the bullying problem.
He called on parents to play their part in the fight against the scourge.
“It cannot be right that schools are expected to be the only place where bullying must be addressed, even though it is a social issue.
“Adults must reflect on their approach to raising children as we see them becoming disrespectful even to teachers.
“A pupil who does not respect a teacher is more likely to bully his or her peers as well. The policies in place require all stakeholders to work together, but others do not play their part and instead, the burden of solving social issues is left to schools to handle.”
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Education activist Hendrick Makaneta said there was a greater need for the department to increase the number of educational psychologists to help identify underlying issues among pupils.
Shaheda Omar, clinical director for the Teddy Bear Foundation, attributed the bullying cases to interconnected factors, which reflect societal challenges.
“Some of the causes that we need to look at are socioeconomic inequality, violence and crime, the cultural factors and lack of support systems. Then, digital bullying, the online exploitation, poor teacher training, peer pressure and group dynamics.
“With socioeconomic inequality, we’re looking at high levels of poverty and inequality that create an environment where children face stress, trauma and frustration. This can manifest itself in bullying behaviours where children may target peers as a way of assuming power and control because of their insecurities.”
Roshni Parbhoo-Seetha, SA Depression and Anxiety Group project manager on education, said bullying was a mental health issue that affects not only victims, but also the person doing the bullying and bystanders.
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