Johannesburg – A Johannesburg mother is accusing St Stithians College, a prestigious private school, of failing to adequately protect her seven-year-old daughter from a series of alleged bullying incidents that have resulted in possible hearing damage.
The mother, identified only as "Thandi" to protect her family's privacy, claims that doctors discovered pencil shavings had been forcibly inserted into her daughter's ears, allegedly by a classmate. This, she says, has caused infection and temporary hearing loss.
"She managed to come out and to say that a child at the school has been putting pencil shavings into her ear, and I did say to the doctor, 'Is it something that you can medically confirm?' And he said, 'Yes, I can medically confirm.' He gave us a written report which the school has on record," Thandi explained.
According to Thandi, the alleged abuse began months prior with seemingly minor incidents on the playground. However, the bullying escalated to physical assaults, including one incident at ballet class where another pupil allegedly pushed her daughter. "She came from ballet, and she reported that she had been assaulted by one of the kids in the school," she said.
Despite the school confirming that it possesses video footage of at least one of the alleged incidents, Thandi claims that school officials have responded to her concerns with "legally charged letters" rather than compassion. She also alleges that the children accused of bullying remain in the same class as her daughter.
Thandi expressed her disappointment with the school's handling of the situation, stating, "We've remained committed to the school in terms of finding some form of way to remedy this so that it never happens to another child."
She acknowledged that her daughter had thrived academically at St Stithians, particularly in mathematics, reading, and cognitive skills. "I think from our initial approach to the school, we did commend them highly that our child has grown within the school academically, and she's really grown in mathematics and her reading skills and her cognitive skills. However, we did express that these are the concerns."
However, she was dismayed by the school's response to the pencil shavings incident. "So, the school's reaction to the pencil shavings – they said that they were going to call the parents of the child, and then they later corresponded and said that the son and the father denied that the pencil shaving was done by their child."
Adding to Thandi's frustration, she revealed that another parent had apologised to her, admitting that her own daughter had told her about the bullying taking place in the classroom. "One of the parents in the class apologised to us, saying she should have said something because her daughter had raised it at home that our daughter is being bullied in the classroom by boys."
The Department of Basic Education and the South African Police Service (SAPS) have since offered support to the family. However, Thandi maintains that the school's handling of the matter lacks empathy and transparency.
In response to the allegations, St Stithians College has issued a statement affirming its "robust anti-bullying policy" and commitment to child safety. However, the school has declined to grant any media interviews pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
Thandi expressed her dissatisfaction with the school's written response, stating, "I would probably say that I don't feel that that letter carries the emotional sensitivity, no care, no guidance in what the school stands for and what it says it perpetuates as its values and what they believe is in the best interest of our children."
The case has sparked a debate about bullying in schools and the responsibility of educational institutions to protect their pupils. The outcome of the school's internal investigation and any further actions taken by the Department of Basic Education will be closely watched.
Follow Us on Twitter
