The principal of an East London high school has vowed to get to the bottom of the circumstances after a pupil committed suicide, allegedly after being subjected to a series of bullying incidents by fellow pupils.
Fifteen-year-old Natasha Klaas, who was a Grade 9 pupil at John Bisseker Senior Secondary, was found with a bullet wound to her head at home last week, allegedly following years of being called a “coconut” at school.
School principal Tyrone Vengadajellum said the school viewed incidents of bullying in a serious light.
Police said an inquest docket had been opened.
Klaas’s family said she had endured months of being taunted at school because of her “white” accent.
Vengadajellum said bullying was a serious offence and the school would investigate the matter.
“We view this in a serious light, bullying is a serious offence. We warn and reprimand learners and say to them if that happens again we will suspend them.”
Grade 11 pupil Hlakanipha Tshalanga, who is also chairman of the representative council of pupils at the school, said bullying was an everyday occurrence.
“We have all kinds of bullying in the school. This includes emotional bullying and physical bullying, which is not only towards learners but also towards teachers,” Tshalanga said.
“In one instance a teacher was stoned by a learner. Children abuse teachers, they don’t listen to them whenever they give instructions,” he added.
“The department has taken the powers of teachers by not allowing corporal punishment at school, so learners aren’t scared of them,” he said.
Buffalo Flats primary school principal Neville Goss said bullying started at primary schools.
He took the Daily Dispatch to a Grade 4 classroom, where he asked if pupils were experiencing bullying. About eight pupils raised their hands.
The principal of Ebenezer Majombozi High School in Gompo, Mziwam Ntshiqa, said the school had a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. “I think part of getting rid of this problem is to be always visible in the school corridors and speaking to each leaner individually. By always being visible I get rid of ill-discipline,” Ntshiqa said.
Stirling High School headmaster Charles Foster, said they had programmes in place to deal with bullying.
“We have a healthy values system based on mutual respect. The values include respect and consideration for others. We encourage our learners to report bullying and we have counsellors to deal with that,” Foster said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Principal to probe bullying following pupil’s death
Fifteen-year-old Natasha Klaas, who was a Grade 9 pupil at John Bisseker Senior Secondary, was found with a bullet wound to her head at home last week, allegedly following years of being called a “coconut” at school.
School principal Tyrone Vengadajellum said the school viewed incidents of bullying in a serious light.
Police said an inquest docket had been opened.
Klaas’s family said she had endured months of being taunted at school because of her “white” accent.
Vengadajellum said bullying was a serious offence and the school would investigate the matter.
“We view this in a serious light, bullying is a serious offence. We warn and reprimand learners and say to them if that happens again we will suspend them.”
Grade 11 pupil Hlakanipha Tshalanga, who is also chairman of the representative council of pupils at the school, said bullying was an everyday occurrence.
“We have all kinds of bullying in the school. This includes emotional bullying and physical bullying, which is not only towards learners but also towards teachers,” Tshalanga said.
“In one instance a teacher was stoned by a learner. Children abuse teachers, they don’t listen to them whenever they give instructions,” he added.
“The department has taken the powers of teachers by not allowing corporal punishment at school, so learners aren’t scared of them,” he said.
Buffalo Flats primary school principal Neville Goss said bullying started at primary schools.
He took the Daily Dispatch to a Grade 4 classroom, where he asked if pupils were experiencing bullying. About eight pupils raised their hands.
The principal of Ebenezer Majombozi High School in Gompo, Mziwam Ntshiqa, said the school had a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. “I think part of getting rid of this problem is to be always visible in the school corridors and speaking to each leaner individually. By always being visible I get rid of ill-discipline,” Ntshiqa said.
Stirling High School headmaster Charles Foster, said they had programmes in place to deal with bullying.
“We have a healthy values system based on mutual respect. The values include respect and consideration for others. We encourage our learners to report bullying and we have counsellors to deal with that,” Foster said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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