DEAR Editor,-
The body of the last of the three children who drowned while on an excursion was finally found. Some comfort for the parents – but what comfort when they all know full well that their children should never have drowned if the teachers charged with their care had done the job for which they were paid? It’s nothing short of a dereliction of duty. During any school excursion, teachers are duty-bound to keep a vigilant eye on their charges – more especially if children are near water, to which they are irresistibly attracted.
When I was a teacher some 20 years back, an excursion was a highly organised event – an educational extension of classroom learning and a mighty responsibility for those teachers who accompanied pupils. A proper itinerary had to be drawn, approved by the principal and copies sent to parents of all pupils involved. No deviation from the itinerary was allowed – if no water visits were itemised, then it meant just that, nothing else. There was no room for, ‘we have some spare time, so let us leave the children in the water while we go for a quick drink’.
The three children will never come back, but will those negligent be punished? By rights they ought to – at least by their conscience.
EX TEACHER
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