Porn shown to school pupils

An Edenglen High School teacher faces suspension after he allegedly showed pornographic material to pupils in his class.

Several parents raised concerns with the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) last week following the impromptu porn viewing.

According to one parent, a letter was sent out by the school apologising for the incident.

“My daughter said one of her teachers was surfing a porn site, not realising his workstation was still connected to the projector,” said the father.

“I think the school has handled the situation marvellously and the department of education has been called in,” he added.

The name of the parent has been withheld to protect the identity of his child, who is a minor.

Edenglen High School confirmed knowledge of various media reports on Thursday morning but referred the NEWS to the GDE for comment.

Spokesperson for the GDE, Ms Phumla Sekhonyane, said the incident was reported to the department on Tuesday last week.

“The department is disturbed by reports that a teacher at Edenglen High School has allegedly showed pornography to pupils in his classroom,” said Ms Sekhonyane.

She added that the safety of children at schools was a priority for the department.

“We have launched an investigation into this matter and will act. The teacher has been served with a notice of intention to suspend,” said Ms Sekhonyane.

“Counselling will be provided to the pupils,” she said.

The head of social crime prevention for the Edenvale SAPS, Sergeant Ulandi Mouton, said the incident was alarming.

“We need to protect our children, especially those who are under age, from viewing such content,” said Sgt Mouton.

She reminded residents that South Africa celebrates Child Protection Week until June 1.

The campaign was launched in 1997 as a collaborative effort by all sectors of society to ensure the care and protection of children.

“All children have the right to speak out if they feel uncomfortable with any situation,” said Sgt Mouton.

She also encouraged parents to have open channels of communication with their children.

“Know where your children are at all times. Make a point of knowing who their friends are and what activities interest your child,” said Sgt Mouton.

She added that the incident at Edenglen High School is viewed in a serious light.

“We may not know what some of the children have been through in their lives, but we do know that a situation such as this could be traumatising,” said Sgt Mouton.

She advised that members of the SAPS would be available to assist any child at any time.

“Children should not be scared to approach the SAPS with any problem they may have. We are here to help and will do our best to do so,” she said.