The provincial department of education has placed three provisional teachers, one admin clerk and an administrator at St Matthews High School to fill the positions of five staff members implicated in a sex-with-pupils scandal.
About two weeks ago the missionary boarding school community in Keiskammahoek was shocked and horrified when it emerged that five adults – including the principal – were allegedly sleeping with pupils.
The five were accused of demanding sex from the girls housed at the school’s hostel in exchange for good marks or to be promoted to the next grade. A few girls are pregnant.
Speaking to the Dispatch on Wednesday, provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the internal investigation was delayed by the week-long holiday. However, it was still on track.
Mtima said internal investigations normally took 14 days. However, this one would take a bit longer.
Mtima said the provisional appointments were made during the school holidays to ensure that when the school reopened for the last term, teaching and learning continued as normal.
“The administrator will act in the principal’s position. As we speak the learners are in class and teachers are teaching.
“We did not want any disruptions, especially with the year-end exams coming up,” said Mtima.
The allegations surfaced when a group of more than 20 Grade 11 girls blew the whistle on the scandal by initiating a protest.
The pupils also accused a senior educator of pimping them by accepting cash from men in exchange for sex with the girls.
Following the allegations, one teacher was arrested and later released after spending a weekend behind bars.
The 37-year-old teacher was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a pupil.
He was later released for the state to decide whether to prosecute him or not. That decision has not been made yet.
The department has also launched an internal investigation...