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A call has been made for a teacher sex offender list after KwaZulu-Natal education authorities announced an increase in cases of sexual and physical assault against school children in the province.
In the latest report, KZN education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane revealed that 20 sexual assault cases and 30 physical assault cases were recorded in 2016- 17. In 2017-18, the figure rose to 33 sexual assault cases and 22 physical assault cases recorded to date.
The MEC also said the number of pupils referred for counselling as a result of these incidents was a staggering 231 to date this year.
It was reported last week that a teacher in the Manguzi area of KwaZulu-Natal had impregnated five pupils from different schools in the region over the past five years.
These incidents prompted Democratic Alliance MPL and party education spokesperson Dr Rishigen Viranna to call for action against the perpetrators.
He said the DA was concerned about the under-reporting of violence in schools, which he attributed to school principals attempting to protect perpetrators or the reputation of their schools.
“This information points directly to our young people being failed on so many levels.
“Our schools should be places of learning and safety, yet it appears that criminality is endemic with a never ending stream of reports of abuse,” he said.
The report indicated that teachers were also affected. Sixteen teachers were attacked or verbally abused at schools in Zululand (one incident), Umkhanyakude (six), Uthukela (four), King Cetshwayo (three) and Umzinyathi (two)
Viranna criticised the provincial education department and the South African Council of Educators (SACE), a regulatory body, for failing to catch the problem in time.
“Why did the department of education and SACE only react after five pupils were pregnant?” he asked.
The MPL said the DA wanted security guard posts at schools filled. He suggested the education authorities should have a teacher sex offender list to stop abusers from resurfacing in another school in a different province and committing more offences.
– ericn@citizen.co.za
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