Parliament, Friday, 18 October 2019 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education expressed grave concern on reports of a sexual relationship between an educator and a Grade 12 learner at an independent school in Cape Town.
Committee Chairperson, Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said, the committee notes the reports that the learner is over the age of 18 years and that the relationship was allegedly consensual. “However, any educator has an ethical responsibility to how she conducts herself. Even if a learner is above the age of consent, there is still a lot of dynamics at play and he remains a school child,” said Ms Mbinqo-Gigaba.
Furthermore, the committee notes that the educator in question has resigned, and that the school principal said earlier this week in a communication, that several boys “have been affected over a number of years”. Ms Mbinqo-Gigaba said: “We commend the school for encouraging the boys to speak up and attempting to get to the bottom of this. We call on parents to speak to their children and make them realise that there is nothing shameful in coming forward if they had experienced the same treatment from the teacher.”
Ms Mbinqo-Gigaba said, in a meeting with the South African Council of Educators (SACE) recently at Parliament, SACE informed the committee that the number of reported cases of improper relationships between teachers and pupils is growing at an alarming rate, and needs to be addressed by all the provincial education departments as a matter of urgency.
There was especially an increase in the relationship between female teachers and boys. “At that meeting, SACE was clear that irrespective of how small the age gap between a learner and an educator might be, there is a line that should not be crossed. He remains a learner and she remains an educator,” added Ms Mbinqo-Gigaba.
SACE is the professional council for educators that aims to enhance the status of the teaching profession through appropriate registration, management of professional development and inculcation of a Code of Ethics for all educators. According to SACE’s Code of Conduct, an educator shall “refrains from any form of sexual relationship with learners from any school”.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BASIC EDUCATION, MS BONGIWE MBINQO-GIGABA.
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