On seeing a video of the footage of the Glenvista High pupil attacking a teacher, I was horrified, and I am extremely angry at what I was viewing.
The question begs yet again, what type of person are we breeding, a child throwing cases, chairs, a mop at a teacher, with the rest of the class cheering him on. I am totally disgusted, but then I suppose that the Children’s Bill of Rights will feature again, the problem with this country is that we as a nation do not know what is right or wrong anymore, why is this happening, because of the Human Rights Bill?
Why are these incidents of cheeky and horrible children not publicised more often? If it hadn’t been for the video that went viral, the education board would have shut the issue down. I ask you, MEC Creecy, what your next step is going to be? The lack of discipline arises from the home, and the lack of discipline is then carried into the schools, and possibly to any other arena where these children frequent.
Many ex-pupils phoned in to radio stations on September 19 and 20 and were horrified by the behaviour of this child and his class mates. However, this is not the only incident of what is happening in our schools in the South. Teachers, who profess to be teachers of the English language, do not even know what a raisin is!
A child who arrives late at Diversity is sent to the principal’s office, gently guided by the administrator, the child is pregnant and a user of drugs, hits the administrator with an umbrella, and in shock the administrator retaliates, and is suspended from her duties; a child in Forest High stabs another child to death because of money!
We as the public have not heard the outcome of these incidences, which to a large extent is our fault. Have we become so insensitive to these things that we don’t care anymore? These are a few incidents of which we know about, what about the incidents that take place every day, and we never get to hear about them.
The problem is that law and order has just broken down, and anything goes! What a shame for South African Education and our country as a whole.
I must say, I admire the teacher from Glenvista High School, and I take my hat off to him, because if that was me, I would have re-acted in a very different way. I wonder if SAPS are going to do anything about the issue?
Reading Jean’s letter (Southern COURIER, October 1, page 6) that she watched the video with an open mind, because her son displayed bad behaviour, surely after the first expulsion, she should have taken action, but in the same light I must admit, to have a son that is bi-polar is a great strain for her, and I hope that son and her are checking on his condition on a regular basis. I perhaps might disagree with her slightly asking parents not to judge too harshly, so is it okay then to abuse teachers?
Too much emphasis is placed on the Bill of Rights, and not enough emphasis is placed on the responsibilities of citizens. I see children arriving late from school, just ambling down the street as if there is no tomorrow, and if teachers do anything, they are the bad ones. Where are the truant officers, why are there no inspectors around? I am infuriated at this stage at what is happening with our youth.
Concerned resident and parent
