An Eastern Cape school teacher was sacked and blacklisted with the South African Council of Educators (SACE) after he was found guilty of sexually abusing a pupil.
This is while 10 other teachers from across the province faced internal disciplinary processes for administering the outlawed corporal punishment and for physically abusing pupils in the past year, the provincial education department revealed to the Bhisho Legislature recently.
Of the 10 teachers, the department said two were fired for physical abuse, while three – including two principals – were demoted.
Two of the offending teachers were placed on suspension, while three more cases are pending. This is according to a written parliamentary response report dated November 27, authored by the department’s superintendent-general Themba Kojana.
In the report, Kojana said only one case of sexual abuse of a pupil was reported, which resulted in the teacher being fired after being found guilty in an internal disciplinary hearing. But, shockingly, the department did not report the matter to the police.
“Our disciplinary code does not require us as the department to report such cases to police.”
He said five cases of corporal punishment and physical abuse of pupils were dealt with by his department last year and another five this year. Of the five cases from last year, four involved teachers who “assaulted” pupils in schools, while one involved a teacher who administered corporal punishment to a minor pupil.
The schools were only identified as being in the Alfred Nzo East education district, Alfred Nzo West, Amathole West, Chris Hani West and in Sarah Baartman district.
Teachers from Alfred Nzo East and Amathole West were fired from their jobs for such abusive acts.
A principal from Chris Hani West district was demoted, while a teacher from Sarah Baartman was given a two-month suspension for physically assaulting a pupil last year. Corporal punishment cases this year were recorded in the Alfred Nzo East district, Buffalo City Metro, Chris Hani, Sarah Baartman and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro districts.
All the cases that took place last year, Kojana said, were reported to SACE.
“The 2017 cases are not yet reported because we report to SACE at the end of the financial year,” he said, adding that his department was still also waiting for a new “reporting template” from SACE.
— asandan@dispatch.co.za
Teacher sacked for sex abuse of pupil
This is while 10 other teachers from across the province faced internal disciplinary processes for administering the outlawed corporal punishment and for physically abusing pupils in the past year, the provincial education department revealed to the Bhisho Legislature recently.
Of the 10 teachers, the department said two were fired for physical abuse, while three – including two principals – were demoted.
Two of the offending teachers were placed on suspension, while three more cases are pending. This is according to a written parliamentary response report dated November 27, authored by the department’s superintendent-general Themba Kojana.
In the report, Kojana said only one case of sexual abuse of a pupil was reported, which resulted in the teacher being fired after being found guilty in an internal disciplinary hearing. But, shockingly, the department did not report the matter to the police.
“Our disciplinary code does not require us as the department to report such cases to police.”
He said five cases of corporal punishment and physical abuse of pupils were dealt with by his department last year and another five this year. Of the five cases from last year, four involved teachers who “assaulted” pupils in schools, while one involved a teacher who administered corporal punishment to a minor pupil.
The schools were only identified as being in the Alfred Nzo East education district, Alfred Nzo West, Amathole West, Chris Hani West and in Sarah Baartman district.
Teachers from Alfred Nzo East and Amathole West were fired from their jobs for such abusive acts.
A principal from Chris Hani West district was demoted, while a teacher from Sarah Baartman was given a two-month suspension for physically assaulting a pupil last year. Corporal punishment cases this year were recorded in the Alfred Nzo East district, Buffalo City Metro, Chris Hani, Sarah Baartman and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro districts.
All the cases that took place last year, Kojana said, were reported to SACE.
“The 2017 cases are not yet reported because we report to SACE at the end of the financial year,” he said, adding that his department was still also waiting for a new “reporting template” from SACE.
— asandan@dispatch.co.za
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