The last three years have seen the number of reported teacher sexual misconduct cases soar, rising from 92 in 2019/20 to 169 in 2020/21 and 191 in 2021/22. Needless to say, governing bodies, teacher unions, parents and political parties around the country are worried about just how safe children are at school and are calling for stricter laws and harsher punishments.
These statistics represent sexual misconduct cases that have occurred on educational premises, including universities, primary and high schools, colleges and daycares.
While verbal and physical misconduct reports have also increased, concern has been focused on the significant rise in cases of sexual misconduct in particular. In 2022, almost one case of sexual misconduct was reported to the South African Council For Educators (SACE) per day.
Even more worrying, is that a large proportion of these incidents go unreported, due to learners feeling too scared or embarrassed to talk to an adult, or they have been intimidated by the guilty teacher. Other times, cases are reported but parents are offered bribes to keep quiet or drop the case altogether.
In 2022, only 12% of these cases resulted in disciplinary action. Of these 23 disciplinary hearings, 19 educators were found guilty of sexual misconduct, yet, only four teachers were struck off the roll indefinitely. It is worrying that only a fraction of these individuals are being held accountable for their actions.
Prevention Measures In Place
Recently, the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) has also raised concerns over these shocking statistics. The governing body has now proposed a cautionary course warning against sexual misconduct between teachers and pupils to be added to the university teaching course curriculum.
Secretary General of the NASGB, Matakanye Matakanye, explains that teaching this course to teachers-to-be will play an important role in emphasizing just how serious sexual misconduct is, hopefully resulting in a decline in cases.
Matakanye also reveals that there is now an Act in place that requires teachers to be vetted before being allowed to work in an educational setting. Educators who have previously been accused of sexual misconduct will not be allowed to work with children.
Reporting Cases Of Sexual Misconduct
Socioeconomic challenges run deep, and millions of South African families face financial struggles, making them more likely to accept bribes.
However, parents need to protect their children first and keep in mind that if they do not report the case involving their child, it will inevitably happen to other children too.
Schools and school management teams are also tasked with the responsibility of protecting their learners and reporting any events of sexual abuse happening in schools.
Incidents of sexual misconduct need to be reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS), the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and SACE so that necessary action can be taken against guilty individuals.
Children should feel safe when entering learning institutions, however without guilty parties being held accountable for their actions, it is likely that we will only see these numbers climb higher in coming years.
