Jay Naidoo has called on the government to criminally charge teachers who indulge in sexual activity with their pupils.
|||Firebrand former Cosatu leader Jay Naidoo has called on the government to criminally charge teachers who indulge in sexual activity with their pupils.
In an interview with the Daily News, Durban-born Naidoo, chairman of Swiss-based organisation Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (Gain), called on the state to intervene in a more decisive way to curb the rising number of teachers involved in sex for favours in the classroom.
“It is an epidemic and the government is not doing enough to curb the problem. It’s a fundamental breach of trust and a major cause of teenage pregnancy in schools, which leads to a generation of single teenage mothers with no education to support themselves or their child because they are forced to leave school as a result,” he said.
“The government should be declaring a zero-tolerance approach on the matter and prosecuting those teachers.”
The number of teachers involved in sexual misconduct with pupils has been growing each year, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, and is made worse by the financial compensation those implicated often offer to families of the pupil as a way of buying their silence.
Teacher union, Sadtu, has consistently called for those caught to be struck off the roll, while appealing to families not to accept cash to keep quiet.
The Department of Basic Education has said it would act strongly against the guilty teachers.
Nationally, the South African Council of Educators has received 91 cases of sexual misconduct against teachers in the past year – with many resigning before disciplinary action could be taken against them.
“It’s an absolute disgrace, we should be doing a lot more than just slapping them on the wrist with a suspension or striking them off the roll – these teachers who abuse the trust of parents who place their children in their care need to be criminally charged in order for the message to be driven home.
“At the same time, communities must organise themselves so they can speak out so families are not pressured to keep quiet because of a financial offering. In most cases it’s the poor and vulnerable who are victims and whose families need the money, making them easy prey,” Naidoo said.
He said he was willing to discuss with government ways to improve the health of women and children, as his organisation had successfully implemented such programmes in more than 30 countries.
“I want nothing. No job, no tender, no position, no money. That’s why I offer my help to government, activists, business.
“I know what can be done by acting in a smart way. If my help is wanted I will make myself available,” he said. - Daily News