Forty-eight educators fired in just 14 months

At least 48 teachers have been fired for sexually abusing pupils in the past 14 months across SA. The fired teachers have been declared unsuitable to work with children.

The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), which delivered the rulings, told Sowetan that from April 1 2022 to May 10 this year, 56 awards of sexual misconduct were issued, and 48 teachers were found guilty.

The council said with the scourge of sexual crimes, particularly against children, a collective agreement was concluded five years ago to ensure that justice prevailed in cases where teachers were accused of sexual misconduct involving children.

Law Centre Section27 has called on provincial education departments to adopt a “strict” vetting process when appointing staff at schools. “Schools should be safe and thriving spaces for learners,” said Section27 attorney Zeenat Sujee.

“The GBV (gender-based violence) crisis is concerning and it is restrictive for learners to achieve their full potential. SA’s statistics on GBV [are] indicative of the systemic failures plaguing SA,” Sujee said.

She added the department had an obligation to ensure that the processes against the alleged perpetrators were dealt with expeditiously.

“They should resort to placing the perpetrators on the Child Protection Register and should have never been employed to work with children... teachers are loco parentis, and the PEDs (provincial education departments) must ensure schools are safe for learners.”

In a recent ELRC ruling, a teacher was fired after he raped a grade 12 pupil at Katlehong High School in Ekurhuleni.

The pupil testified that in August 2021, the teacher stopped his vehicle next to her and rolled down his window. He invited her to get inside the car and they drove to his place.

She said after the ordeal, she fell sick and missed her period and decided to take a pregnancy test, which came back positive.

When she told the teacher, he apparently said he was infertile but brought a bag of medication and gave her instructions on how to take it.

“After she took the medication, she started bleeding. When she went to the doctor, she was told that she was two months and one day pregnant,” read the ruling.