Episode 138 - BULLYING AT ROEDEAN: PART 1 Framing The Issues

In the recent edition of Sunday Times (
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2022-11-27-parents-of-roedean-bullies-in-ugly-school-fight/
), the paper reported on a horrible incident at a well-known
independent school in Johannesburg, Roedean. It even allegedly
involved fighting between parents that necessitated police being
dispatched.



The backdrop to the fights are guilty bullying verdicts and
punishment for these: the alleged bullies' families feel the
school had not dealt with the issues properly nor fairly, while
the parents of the alleged victim also feel
aggrieved. 



What is fact and what is fiction? That is hard to tell as all the
people involved are passionately asserting their individual
truths, and evidence is slowly and partially emerging. I have
seen some of it. And engaged many people privately. My own
digging is ongoing. 



In a series of episodes here on In The Ring With Eusebius
McKaiser, I will help you navigate the story: we start off with
setting the scene and isolating the main themes, as well as an
interview with the provincial department of education. In
subsequent episodes we deal with other apsects of the
story.



Why should you care? Bullying is rife, and schools have an
enormous role to play in the development of our children. If we
understand what is happening and what is not happening at
Roedean, we can help to think, collectively, through the
institutional duty of all schools, whether independent or public,
to guarantee and create environments that are conducive to
learning without fear and, in fact, environments that are so
healthy that children -  ideally - should be excited to
enter the school gates.






This is the first episode in this special series.