Siviwe Gwarube highlights the deep social roots of school bullying and the need for action beyond the classroom.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is one of the most level-headed department heads in the government of national unity (GNU).
And her comments on the scourge of bullying in schools are spot-on, though they might make some people uncomfortable.
Gwarube was speaking after the latest incident of school bullying went viral on social media and later saw seven girls, aged between 13 and 14, arrested for allegedly assaulting a fellow pupil in Johannesburg this month.
Gwarube said discipline in schools cannot be addressed by the application of punitive measures alone.
“These things are deeply rooted in our societies and you are seeing this kind of violence playing itself out in our schools,” she added.
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And, while she acknowledged that the education system itself could improve the way it deals with bullies, society at large – and parents especially – need to step up and take responsibility.
“Discipline is not something that should be dealt with by just teachers,” she noted.
“Schools don’t exist in a vacuum. They exist in communities.”
We do live in a violent society, some of the roots of which can be traced back to the past. But we cannot blame that past without confronting the present.
We owe that to our kids.
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