Parents at Mondeor Primary School are concerned about a number of issues at school, including bullying.

There seem to be issues and according to them Principal Freddy Tlhavani is doing nothing to work around it.

On August 29, the parents had a meeting at the Mondeor Recreation Center to discuss these issues. A parent contacts the Courrier du Sud and explains that an urgent intervention by the GDE is necessary at the school because it is getting out of control.

She said bullying is rampant at school, while educators are divided in their loyalties.

“Three boys had bullied my son who is in third grade. They kicked him, threw rocks at him, and even took his supplies and food. It’s been going on for a while. And when he fought back, he was called the aggressor.

“I went to school and told them to fix the problem. I was promised they would, but they didn’t. I spoke to the manager in person about it. They referred me to the school psychologist who then told me that the parents of these boys were not cooperating.

“One day I became a detective, I waited outside school and I met the parents of these boys and they said they had never been called. So what must be come now to solve this problem?” she said.

The other parent who complained said her daughter was ashamed of her body. “One day she came home in tears and said she didn’t want to go to school anymore. Two weeks ago a child brought his 18 year old brother to school with a gun, the teachers ran in and left our children outside. And the principal did not have the courtesy to tell us as parents about the incident.

“I took my child to Mondeor Primary because of his exceptional level of performance, but he is deteriorating and no one is doing anything about it.

“Learners cannot go to the toilets because there is no toilet paper and they are dirty. Teachers use vulgar language. Some students brought drugs and knives to school.

“With the suicide rate being high, something has to be done before it’s too late. It’s like sending our children to a place where survival of the fittest exists. We pay around R20,000 in fees tuition and this is what we get?” she asked.

Gauteng Department of Education spokesman Steve Mabona responded:

“The department is disturbed to learn of the alleged incidents of bullying that allegedly occurred at Mondeor Elementary School. According to a report available to us, a parent of a third grader broke into the staff room from school on August 23 to complain about alleged incidents of bullying her child. disciplinary action would be taken accordingly.

“To raise public awareness, the school organized anti-bullying assemblies. The police were asked to speak at all levels about the seriousness of the bullying.

“On the matter of an 18-year-old who allegedly pointed a gun at a school patroller, it has since been established that he is not a student of the school but a sibling of one of the learners. The principal accompanied the patrolman to the police station to open a case and the matter is being investigated by SAPS.

Performance deterioration

“The school’s performance is not deteriorating as the parent claims. Our records indicate that the school is performing well above 90%. The parent’s statement about declining performance does not reflect the school’s reality.

No toilet paper and the toilets are dirty

“The toilets are well maintained with daily cleaning, a punctual supply of toilet paper is made. To say that the learner’s toilet is dirty is a misrepresentation. The toilets were inspected by the district manager.

Teachers using vulgar language

“No complaints about teachers using vulgar language have been reported to the principal. The principal continually reminds teachers of the code of conduct to promote and adhere to professional work ethics.

Conduct

“As a department, we continue to strongly condemn any act of misconduct by anyone who seeks to undermine the dignity of our educational institutions.

“We always urge all of our learners to refrain from any act of misconduct in schools and implore parents to assist the Department in instilling discipline in learners inside and outside the school environment” , did he declare.