Bullying no longer stops at school gates

Every parent sends their child to school with the same hope that they will learn, grow, and return home more confident than they were the day before.

What keeps many parents awake at night is the fear that the opposite might be happening.

Bullying is not a new problem. Schools have always had their share of cruel words and exclusion.

What has changed is that bullying no longer ends when the bell rings.

Today, it continues on cellphones. A child can be mocked in a classroom, excluded during break and then followed home by a stream of messages and social media posts.

This then happens in front of an audience far larger than any school corridor could accommodate.

For parents, this creates a sense of helplessness that previous generations never had to confront.

There is no longer a clear boundary between school and home.

The allegations involving a Gqeberha pupil and her former school have once again thrust the issue into the spotlight.

A legal dispute has been lodged and will take its own course.

Psychologists repeatedly warn that persistent bullying can leave emotional scars.

Anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, declining academic performance and damaged self-esteem follow.

In the digital age, a cruel message can be amplified by dozens of bystanders with the tap of a screen.

And this is where schools carry a significant responsibility. Parents entrust them with their children.

While schools cannot control every interaction between pupils, they can foster environments where complaints are taken seriously, investigations are thorough, and victims feel heard rather than dismissed.

Every child deserves to feel safe at school. Every parent deserves confidence that concerns will be treated with urgency and compassion.

Every bully, regardless of age, needs to understand that cruelty is not a rite of passage.

No child should have to choose between an education and their wellbeing.