Independent Online (IOL) Bullying at a primary school has Cape Town father at his wits’ end Robin-Lee Francke
Paragraph 1 A Cape Town father does not know where to turn anymore after his daughter has been physically attacked and bullied at a local primary school more than a dozen times. The 33- year-old father from Belhar said the latest incident, where his daughter was stabbed with a pencil in the eye, was the last straw.
Paragraph 2 He told IOL the principal allegedly sweeps incidents under the carpet and nothing is being done to discipline the group of girls tormenting his daughter. His daughter, 8, a Grade 3 learner at Parow Valley Primary School now fears going to school. The father has called for the dismissal of the principal, class teacher and for the group of young bullies to be disciplined.
Paragraph 3 The name of the teacher and bullies are known to IOL. However, because the victim and alleged perpetrators are minors they cannot be named. The young girl is alleged to have had her hair pulled, been hit on her back, smacked around, scratched in her face and her bag emptied over her head. The father, who said he has witnessed some incidents while picking up his daughter from school, also approached the principal.
Paragraph 4 “She told me that my daughter is lying after the teacher reported the incident to her. She then shouted to my daughter saying ‘I told you not to tell your daddy what happened’. What if she damaged a nerve and my daughter was blinded? How far will this go? My daughter is extremely scared to go to school, she cries every morning.”
Paragraph 5 He said he has contacted the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) regarding this matter. IOL asked the WCED if they were aware of the allegations of bullying at the school. The department’s Millicent Merton said the school had records of all incidents. Paragraph 6 “The school has detailed records of how each incident was handled, including statements from various witnesses. This is contrary to the claim that nothing was done about the alleged bullying.
1 Explain what is meant by the use of the expression “sweeps incidents under the carpet” in Paragraph 1, in the context of the article. 2 Marks
2a What do the following acronyms stand for? i. IOL ii. WCED 2 Marks 2b What reading strategy helped you answer the above? 1 Mark
3a Why does the author use the word “alleged” in paragraph 4? 2 Marks 3b Identify the reading strategy used to answer 3a, and explain why this particular reading strategy was used. 3 Marks
4 If you were the journalist about to interview the father of the victim, what would your main reason be to listen to what he has to say? 2 Marks
5 What is the stage of listening that any research conducted prior to the interview falls under? Provide a brief explanation for your answer. 3 Marks
6 When we speak, we choose our words to represent what we wish to share (TUT 501, pg.76). What are the TWO messages that the father wished to communicate in paragraph 5? 4 Marks
7a Why does Millicent Merton use formal language when talking to IOL in paragraph 6? 2 Marks 7b Nunan (2001:23) identifies six stages in the listening process, which of these does Millicent’s answer falls under. 1 Marks
