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Sex Pest Teachers Exposed On Internet: Sex Scandal School 'On The Mend'
9 August 2009
Durban - The SA Council of Educators (Sace) website will on Monday start publishing the details of teachers convicted of sexual offences, and of those fired for misconduct, giving parents and schools a resource to check the backgrounds of prospective employees. The council said the register contained the names of 75 teachers who had been struck off the roll for offences including the physical and sexual abuse of pupils. The list includes names from 2005 when the council was founded. The council had announced the proposed move last year, but had to wait for its website to be overhauled and relaunched. News of the launch of the offenders' register has generated criticism among some teachers' unions, which say the move is punitive rather than corrective. SA Professional Teachers' Union KZN secretary Mbuyiseni Mathonsi called the register "stupid", saying the council was being "extra-ordinarily excited" on these issues. "This is an attack on teachers. Teachers must not be treated differently from other offenders. This is just a pseudo court," he said. Anthony Pierce, KZN CEO of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA, supported publication of the list. However, National Teachers' Union spokesman Allen Thompson said: "We aren't happy about this. Teachers who have been struck off the roll are blacklisted by the education department so they can't be paid. That's why we don't understand (publication of the list), because the department is doing that already." The SA Council of Educators information technology manager Kriya Govender said all one needed to do to check if a teacher had been struck off the roll was to enter his or her identity number. "On the website's menu there'll be a link where you can query a teacher's professional standing. After punching in the ID number, the teacher's name, surname and ID number will appear. The organisation has chosen not to divulge the full details as to why the teachers were struck off the roll, because we are still consulting our lawyers about the legal implications of doing that," he said. Jacqui Branfield, of Operation Bobbi Bear, which works with abused children, said she was "thrilled" by the move, which was long overdue. "It won't completely protect our children, but we will know (which teachers are on the list). Teachers shouldn't be attacking and molesting children, because they are in the place of parents. And how can we say it doesn't work if we haven't tried it?" she said. Childline spokeswoman Joan van Niekerk had mixed feelings about the move. She was concerned about the country's "preoccupation" with registers. "Unfortunately, we do come across teachers who have been struck off the roll, convicted and allowed back into class. We need to take a firmer line against it, but we need to ensure that everyone's rights are protected. "Registers often don't protect children. They encourage parents to be less vigilant than they should be. One in nine children report abuse and only 5 percent of offenders are convicted. Most don't appear in registers. We need more creative ways to protect our children. We've got to think beyond registers," she said. Reginald Chilisa, chairman of the KZN branch of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, welcomed the move, saying it was important for schools to know the credentials of prospective teachers. He said it was often difficult to investigate a teacher's professional standing. "Schools sometimes hire teachers, not knowing that they are inviting snakes inside their gates... but this will help governors to hire good teachers," he said. Sex scandal school 'on the mend' Education MEC Senzo Mchunu is determined to revive an Umlazi high school after a teacher-pupil sex scandal resulted in weeks of disrupted lessons. Mchunu and a delegation of Education Department officials, including superintendent general Cassius Lubisi and Umlazi district director Mlungisi Ntombela, visited the embattled Makhumbuza High School a month ago. The MEC spoke to pupils, teachers and parents and received feedback on the latest developments at the school. He said it would be difficult to rehabilitate the school. Challenges included the drop in the school's enrolment to 460 pupils from 1 000 during the past three years, last year's poor matric pass rate, which was 12 percent, and drug abuse, which affected many Umlazi schools. His department would deal speedily with the five male teachers who had been accused of having sexual relationships with female pupils. The teachers, who have been suspended, face departmental and criminal charges. One faces 17 criminal charges, including a rape that allegedly happened inside the school's science laboratory. Mchunu said the plan to revive the school would involve a concerted effort from the education and social development departments, parents and the school management team. In spite of the problems, he added, the school was returning to normal. "Exams are being conducted, all is working according to plan," he said. "Tensions that overwhelmed the school after the matter was exposed are being managed. "All is under control from our side. We appeal to the community around the school to allow the legal process to unfold without intimidation against anyone so that justice can be seen to be done." He said the department had hired two legal firms to handle its investigation into the teachers. The department had taken this decision to ensure that this "serious" matter was handled correctly. Lubisi said the department was determined to return the school to its "former glory". He said a task team formed by education and social development officials had been established to communicate with the pupils, parents and teachers about their needs. "This school was known for its music and cultural excellence," he said. "We want to rebuild the confidence of the school."
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