The Department of Basic Education and the SA Council of Educators (SACE) is taking a tough stance on corporal punishment. Since January, SACE has struck five teachers off the roll for beating up learners. Initially the body was investigating 10 cases nationally.
Basic Education today announced it suspended an Alberton teacher after an SABC News expose last month, into corporal punishment allegations at Glenbrack. Learners told of how teachers threw board dusters at them, kicked and slapped them around.
One of the boys at the school was hit so hard that he started bleeding. The principal denied the allegations then but a day later, footage surfaced exposing gross breaches in Sections of the Schools Act.
“We will be conducting further investigations in terms of bringing charges against this educator,” says Gauteng Basic Education Charles Phahlane.
Even though corporal punishment was abolished 16 years ago, many more educators might face the same fate for breaching that section of the Schools’ Act. Gauteng says it has already issued 13 final written warnings and fines and three more beating cases are still under investigation.
The department says it will decide on completion of those cases what course of action to take and parents have been encouraged to come forward with more cases - so that criminal charges can be instituted.
No comments:
Post a Comment