AN EASTERN Cape primary school teacher has been suspended after allegedly making pupils clean up her mess.
The teacher from the school in Ugie is accused of vomiting and instructing her pupils to clean it up.
Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said: “The incident took place in the Joe Gqabi District last Tuesday, 21 February and the teacher has been suspended by the provincial education department on a charge of misconduct."
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"The alleged misconduct happened at school and due to its seriousness, the provincial education Head of Department (HOD), Mahlubandile Qwase, has instructed the Joe Gqabi District manager to immediately put the educator on precautionary suspension, pending investigation. Qwase re-emphasied instituting these disciplinary measures to protect these minor learners,” he said.
“The HOD also instructed the district to activate psychosocial support services for these learners who were allegedly made to clean after the educator vomited in class. The HOD calls upon all educators to conduct themselves as parents in school and class, while also promoting the protection of pupil’s dignity.”
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“These allegations are shaming the sector, which is supposed to set high moral standards for learners to follow. As educators are expected to teach learners the best ways to behave, as such I find it very difficult to believe that a normal human being, who is a parent and an educator, can do such to young children. Since this is the first of its kind, the department will also rope in employee wellness to assist in assessing the fitness of the educator to be in class,” said Mtima.
Petros Majola, an activist for children's rights, said: "According to the children, the teacher ate instant porridge and vomited later. The grade 2 pupils were given a mop to clean up her vomit. These children are traumatised and I’m curious to know why she didn’t clean up her mess. Why did she decide to hurt these children? No normal person, whether at school or not, could ask a child to clean his or her vomit,” he said.
It is the same town where a principal was fired for dipping a pupil into a pit toilet to search for his cellphone that had fallen in kak.
