The Eastern Cape Department of Education has unveiled four strategies to curb bullying in schools across the province, amid rising reported cases over the past months.
The four strategies are peer education-based intervention programmes, learner support agents, partnering with the Departments of Health and Social Development, and partnership with the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“These developed strategies are tailored for further exploration and will be implemented incrementally until all schools are reached in the entire province. Some of the programmes have already started, while others are at the initial stages and will take off soon,” said department spokesperson, Malibongwe Mtima.
The anti-bullying strategies come in the wake of much-publicised incidents of learners falling victims to bullying in Eastern Cape schools, which the provincial department admits has forced it to re-strategise its plans on dealing with bullying.
A Cambridge High School assault of one schoolboy by another is the latest incident. In November last year, Bhisho High School Grade 10 learner, Lathitha Nako (16), committed suicide after allegedly being a victim of abuse by her peers, who allegedly called her a witch because of her ancestral calling.
On peer education-based intervention programmes, the department says 560 peer education clubs have been established in care support learning and teaching schools to decrease incidents of risky behaviour.
“These peer education clubs help the groups to define their concerns and seek solutions through the mutual sharing of information and experiences. They become role models within the school environment. They empathise and understand the emotions, thoughts, feelings and language of each other. Below are planned programmes that will be implemented in schools to achieve the above goals, and these will keep learners occupied and help them gain life skills,” said Mtima.
A total of 850 learner support agents (LSAs) have been appointed to provide support to learners at school level, from selected schools. Of these, 48 agents and two learner support mentors were appointed on December 1, 2021, in response to the Bhisho High School incident.
LSAs are tasked with working closely with appointed school health educators, SGBs and school-based support teams, as well as creating a database of all orphans and vulnerable children for targeted support, referrals, and skills development. The department has strengthened relationships with the Department of Health and the Department of Social Development and monthly meetings take place where the ISHP plan is presented for joint implementation and progress reports as part of its integrated school health programmes.
Mtima said LSAs continue working with the SAPS, as they ensure that schools are linked to their nearest police stations. The SAPS conducts drug awareness programmes in schools and random searching in cases where drug abuse cases and fights are reported.
