Times Of Swaziland: PUPILS DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL FOR SEX WORK

PUPILS DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL FOR SEX WORK
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 BY JOSEPH ZULU  on 18/09/2017 00:09:00


PIGG’S PEAK – Sex work may be the oldest profession but for Gija Emkhuzweni
High School, the illegal profession is costing them big time.
This is because some of their female pupils have dropped out of school to engage
in this trade, while others are still schooling, however, also engage in sex
work. It has been revealed that even pupils in lower classes at the school are
engaging in such trade, with most of them blaming the high poverty levels as the
main reason.
Gija Emkhuzweni High School is one of the poorly performing schools in the
country, such that 41 per cent failed the 2016 Junior Certificate exams and none
obtained First or Second Class Passes.
It has been gathered that the school is dealing with at least 30 disciplinary
cases and that some of these include alleged sex work.
The Head teacher at the school, Sam Nxumalo said, the driving force for the
alleged sex work was mainly high levels of poverty in that some of the pupils
cannot afford school fees or uniform.
They are then forced to resort to sex work.
He said in many cases, affected pupils often live alone or with relatives who
are not their biological parents but only guardians.
Nxumalo not only confirmed the allegations of some pupils engaging in sex work
for ‘survival’ but said it was a concern because the pupils were dropping
out of school.
He confirmed that there were cases still being handled by the school, involving
being ‘paid for sexual services’.