The Department of Basic Education has embarked on a nationwide school safety and violence prevention campaign, to raise awareness on distressing impact of bullying on the school community.
The Department has partnered with other governmentdepartments, social partners, and key stakeholders for this anti-bullying intervention initiative, in an effort to curb bullying often involving learners, teachers and sometimes community members.
“Bullying, which often leads to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicide, low academic performance, absenteeism and school dropout, can have a direct impact on educational outcomes,” said the Department in a statement.
On Friday, the department’s deputy ministers, Dr Reginah Mhaule, deputy minister of communication Pinky Kekana, home affairs Njabulo Nzuza, and among others commenced with the anti-bullying roadshow at Tshepana Primary School in Orange Farm, Gauteng.
Mhaule said they will also meet with parents to talk about the importance of playing an active role in school activities.
“The programme entails engagement with school management teams (SMT) and school governing bodies (SGBs) on reporting and taking proactive steps to manage disruptive incidents, as and when they emerge; and a meeting with parents on the importance of playing an active role in school activities and equipping them with tools for effective monitoring and management of bullying, as well as an engagement with Grade 10 – 12 learners,” said Mhaule.
In the past weeks, Limpopo province made headlines when a 15-year-old Lufuno Mavhunga from Mbilwi Secondary School committed suicide after a video of her being violently attacked by a fellow pupil went viral.
