Girls allegedly asked to undress at school: Parents furious
Parents, community protest at alleged inappropriate conduct at Toekomsrus Primary.
Parents and concerned community members have been protesting and burning tyres in front of Toekomsrus Primary since early Monday morning, 21 January.
According to Pretty Tshabalala, her daughter and her classmates were allegedly forced to undress in front of one of the cleaners in the girl’s bathroom in 2017.
“The cleaner said she found sanitary pads in the bathroom and wanted them to undress to find out who was menstruating so that they can clean it up. My daughter said that the cleaner undressed before the learners had to undress. It was very traumatising and some learners are still too scared to go to school,” Pretty said.
While some community members and parents protested in front of the school, parents whose children were involved held a meeting with the school and representatives of the Department of Education.
Joanne Baartman, another concerned parent, said that neither the school nor the Department communicated the outcome of the investigation and that the cleaner is still employed at the school after being suspended for only a month.
“This is unacceptable. We are standing up for our children’s rights today. We can’t let them be abused like this. We demand answers and we want action to be taken against the cleaner,” she said.
A concerned community member, Koekie Alie, said that the whole community has to fight for these children so that it won’t happen again.
The school didn’t want to comment on the allegations. The Herald has however approached the Department of Education for comment and is still waiting for their response.
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