TEACHERS IN LOVE AFFAIRS WITH PUPILS TO BE FIRED

MANZINI - Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo has warned teachers that time for suspending educators who have relationships with pupils is over.

He said government has taken a decision that if found guilty, they should be fired. When addressing William Pitcher College graduates (170) who were the class of 2022, the minister said stern action would be taken against immoral teachers. This was his first tertiary institution graduation ceremony which he attended in his capacity as the minister of education and training. The ceremony was held at Divine Healing Ministries International Auditorium in Manzini yesterday.

Introduced

The minister, who was introduced by the Under Secretary/Schools Manager in the ministry, Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, thanked the latter for talking about issues of discipline among teachers.This was before he introduced the minister. Nhlengetfwa had told the graduates that his office dealt with conduct of teachers and head teachers. Therefore, he warned them to be of good behaviour in their respective school, even if they would be posted to institutions located in the rural areas.

As a ministry, he said they had noted immoral behaviour among teachers. He told them that as teachers, they should know that pupils were not their girlfriends/boyfriends. “You are not there (in schools) to find love, but to teach. So, once my office receives such a case, and investigations prove that the teacher is guilty, he/she will be sent home (fired),” said Nhlengetfwa. Again, he told them filling a prep-book was a requirement for a teacher in school. He said teachers were also expected to report what they had taught.

Concern

He said another concern they had with teachers, was absenteeism. He said some teachers absented themselves and by so doing they dodge parents, who have paid school fees for the children to learn. Moreover, he warned them to respect head teachers and their deputies in schools. He said this was because they were their leaders.

Thereafter, the minister said he was happy that Nhlengetfwa had addressed the issue of discipline among teachers. He said back then, a teacher who impregnated a pupil or found to be having a relationship with her was suspended and later on posted to another school. “However, Cabinet has discussed this and time for suspending such teachers is over. Instead, they will be fired if found guilty,” the minister said.

On another note, the minister congratulated the graduating class on their academic achievement. He said the amount of time, which is three years, that they spent preparing to become teachers was an important investment into their future. He then urged all of them to therefore take this investment seriously. “Go out there and make a positive impact on the lives of the young emaSwati using the knowledge, attitude and skills acquired during your training. As politicians, we will make sure that resources are there for you to grow,” the minister added.

Thanked

He thanked government, parents, guardians and staff of William Pitcher College for the pivotal role they played in the training of the class that was graduating. He said this was because this cohort of teachers was trained during the most challenging time of COVID-19, which was resource intensive in order to keep the college environment safe and effective.

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