Who sexually abuse and groom learners
CCN Reporting
DURBAN:- Members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) taking part in a protest march through Durban’s CBD on Friday, October 16th have strongly condemned teachers who sexually abuse and groom learners.
The union’s members were primarily marching against the failure to fill teacher posts and what they describe as austerity measures affecting education in KwaZulu-Natal.
During the protest, they also addressed the serious issue of educator misconduct. This comes after allegations of sexual grooming involving a teacher at a school in Mkhambathini in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. The claims have sparked calls from community members and civic organisations for full accountability.
Speaking to SABC News during the march, teacher Michael Netshiungani said educators found guilty of sexually abusing learners must be dismissed.
“Teachers who are sexually assaulting learners need to be fired because there is no way that they can be kept in the department because you may find that the principal knows everything, but children are children. You can’t blame the child, but blame the teacher so that, in the end, they must also learn from their actions,” he said.
Netshiungani stressed that such actions undermine the dignity of the teaching profession and violate the rights of learners.
The protest forms part of ongoing concerns raised by SADTU in KwaZulu-Natal over unfilled vacancies, the non-appointment of substitute teachers and Grade R practitioners, and conditions at special schools.
