School Hell

The issue of school initiation, certainly a hardy perennial the world over, has reared its head again - this time in Parktown Boys High school in Johannesburg.

Apparently, one child was, as was required, beaten black and blue. His mother, strangely enough, found out about it (I don't know how - maybe she noticed her child limping painfully to vomit in the toilet. Or maybe he tried to get himself surreptitiously sewn up). And even more oddly, she wasn't happy about it. She complained about it. She raged about it. And then, even more indecently, she went to the press about it!

Now, firstly, according to the strange unwritten laws of British colonial male education, the child is automatically a loser for in some way letting on to the fact that he had been badly brutalised. That he really shouldn't have done. Secondly, it was completely unacceptable for his mother (I mean his MOTHER - not even his father!) to have complained - never mind to the school, but to the press! That is simply, according to this barbarous code, something you do not do!

But, lastly, not satisfied with the ingloriousness of this, four months later, this dastardly woman has actually had the gall to charge the 11 culprits! So, on Carte Blanche on Sunday, we had the headmaster of Parktown Boys, Tom Clarke - looking for all the world like an irritated locust - implying that the mother, Pene Kimber, was acting out of malice.

At the time of the assault, this crazy headmaster had told the press that the initiation was “intended as a boarding house exercise to incorporate the grade 11s as seniors of the house”.

Apparently, the Department of Education is investigating the matter - (let's not hold our breath here).

Well, in my opinion, Tom bloody Clarke should be fired. He is clearly an idiot if he doesn't see the point of all of this and he has demonstrated himself utterly unfit to run a school, on any kind of civilized basis. Children empowered to beat up other children should, quite correctly, be charged. But so should the headmaster, for apparently aiding and abetting them!