Officials must walk the talk on bullying

Unable to bear the constant bullying and taunting at his Malabar Primary School, an 11-year-old boy went into his room and tied a rope around his neck, ready to take his life. Fortunately, his mother walked in at the right moment and prevented what could have been a tragedy. Bullying in schools is nothing new. However, the violent nature of these attacks are now there for everyone to see with them being recorded on cellphones and shared on social media platforms.

On Thursday, we reported on a video being shared on Facebook of a grade 4 pupil being kicked, punched and throttled by older girls, allegedly over a boy.

The video was viewed more than 10,000 times and shared by several hundred people.

Parents of children attending Malabar Primary have spoken of several other chilling incidents involving their children either being choked, hit with a plank or stabbed with a pencil.

All of them feel that the school is not doing anything to protect their children or discipline the perpetrators.

The principal, Crispin Abrahams, would not speak about the incidents, but did say the girls caught on the video – the attacker and the victim who fought back – were undergoing disciplinary processes but were being allowed to write exams.

He said the incidents were reported to the education department, with the department saying it would include Malabar Primary in its anti-bullying programmes.

While it is important for the pupils to be educated on the impact that bullying has on the victims, failure to act and ensure there are proper consequences for such behaviour renders the programmes ineffective.

Protecting the rights of the “bullies” to education is all well and good, but the rest of the pupils have a right to learn in a safe environment where they do not have to look over their shoulders or fear their peers.

Principals and the department of education must walk the talk by implementing their no-nonsense, antibullying policies.

By not doing so they are failing the hundreds of pupils who suffer in silence, dreaming up ways of ending their nightmares and, sadly, their lives.