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.