A (minor) group of educators have been found to hold a criminal record which they did not disclose, according to findings by TPN Credit Bureau.
TPN's data has revealed that 3.6% of teachers have a criminal record, and that more than two-thirds don't declare that they've had previous convictions.
A policy since 2019 requires that all new teachers registering with the South African Council of Educators (SACE) must obtain and submit police clearance certificates.
"It is a point of concern that around 26% of those with a conviction have more than one conviction,” the Bureau said.
If a staff criminal check uncovers a conviction of a sexual nature against a minor or a vulnerable individual, they will be dismissed with immediate effect, added the Bureau.
Teen pregnancies are on the rise, with some of educators immorally engaging with underage learners they teach, placing scrutiny on who is allowed within the vicinity of a school and a child.
Should an educator be convicted of another crime, this should be referenced against SACE’s list of convictions that would prevent an educator from registering successfully.
Disciplinary action may also follow, depending on the conviction's nature, the policies of a school, and the employee agreement signed by the staff member.
Schools are legally required to conduct background checks on potential educators and any other prospective employees, including sports coaches, administrators and grounds staff, to ensure they are not listed on the National Register of Sexual Offenders and the National Child Protection Register.
As a result of these requirements, the number of educators undergoing criminal checks has grown by 254% since 2019.
Waldo Marcus, TPN's Head of Marketing and Sales, says that despite this new revelation, there has been significant improvement of educator background checks conducted since 2019, as the policy requires.
"From last year to this year, there's been a massive jump, especially within the private schools and those public fee paying schools, that are approaching the Bureau to do full background checks on the entire staff," says Marcus.
While some of the responsibility falls on the employed educators to notify the relevant authorities about any criminal convictions attached to their names, part of the onus is also on the schools themselves and on those who run the individual screenings.
Part of the reason why these educators with criminal convictions went undetected, was because of the financial strain on public schools and how much money the Education Department can spend, as they cover the costs associated with conducting background checks.
"As you can imagine, some schools are sitting with 150 staff members that need to be checked every second year, so making provision within those budgets becomes critical," says Marcus.
The ultimate responsibility, he says, resides with a school's principle and/or the School Governing Body, who needs to ensure that all procedures are followed.
The Bureau has warned that “school principals who do not conduct checks and employ staff with a criminal record, can themselves be held criminally and civilly liable for failing in their duty of care to children or vulnerable people”.
