Comments

As a teacher with over 40 years’ experience, I feel I must comment on all those statements about ‘the schools must get involved’ or ‘why don’t the schools get involved?’  What makes people think that we don’t???  All private schools in Harare, and many state schools too, have Life Skills classes.  Pupils are constantly reminded of the need for responsibility and accountability, about decent behaviour, about the risks of drugs and alcohol, about responsible use of cell phones and the internet.  At every opportunity the schools do what they to help pupils cope with the pressures of modern life, and the peculiar issues relative to Zimbabwe.  But we cannot control what they do out of school.  We do not allow under age pupils to go to nightclubs – their parents do!  We can give them our ideas about morality, but ultimately it is the parents who have the greatest impact and responsibility.  We cannot stop our pupils from misbehaving at the weekend and in the holidays. There is only so much that we can do, and believe me, it is done.  Too often the problems lie in the home. 

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"The only way to deal with these guys is to name them publicly. Then get some people involved who can fix this problem. You deal with the culprits first by hospitalizing them and then you deal with their parents. People need to be taught a lesson." 

Yeah, that's a great idea, let's teach these kids not to assault other people by assaulting them.  Let's teach them not to humiliate others by humiliating them.  These kids have grown up with assault.  There is a better way to raise kids than raising our hands to them, humiliating them, and punishing them otherwise.  And before I get the whole "Oh look at the kids in the UK/USA" thing, allow me to inform you all that at last count 75% of parents in the UK admitted to hitting their kids and 90% of parents in the US admit to hitting THEIR kids, so there goes the 'hitting works' argument.  

In the age of information, your ignorance is your choice.  There are better ways to raise empathetic, kind and considerate kids, and it starts with being empathetic, kind and considerate of them.  I'll bet the parents of those kids will argue that their kids are kind, considerate etc when presented with the 'you shouldn't hit' argument, but the proof is in the pudding.  I don't know anyone in this country who doesn't hit their kids except for one or two people.

"It is not our job to toughen our kids up to face a cruel and heartless world.  It is our job to raise children who make the world a little less cruel and heartless."  L R Knost, Christian author. Disgusted

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Well done for taking the legal steps .Unfortunately money talks in Zimbabwe and “THE GUILTY RICH” get away with it again.

Even though they have escaped the Law, all offenders & associates  should be placed on a banned list with their names and photographs distributed to local “hot spots ”for all to see what scum is living In amongst us (it wouldn’t be a bad idea if the schools were provided with the identities of these brain dead miscreants). Brian.

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I too would like to express my concern on this matter. My son aged 7 has just been on a wilderness camp and returned with a black eye. Now I understand that this is all part of growing up and every little boy will end up at some stage in his life in this position, but what is being done to stop this bullying? The boy who hit him was 2 years older than him. They took a photograph of him naked and threatened to put it on Facebook and then told my son he would be arrested! He panicked and lashed out at one the boy and in returned received a black eye!

On top of this my son attends a very well respected Junior School in Harare and we, as well as other parents have had several issues with bullies on the playground.  We have all had meetings with the respective teachers and promises that the children will be supervised. With no changes a few weeks later! There is no supervision on the fields at break time and this is when these bullies are targeting their victims! My son has now asked that I change his school as he is too afraid to return?

Basically my point is these bullies start in pre-school, Grade1 and Grade 2! Is it any wonder they think they're invincible by the time they're in their teens? It's disgusting and should not be tolerated! Why are the schools too scared to deal with these tyrants? They would actually be doing them a favour!  Disappointed Parent

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