Children come first
A NATION that fails to take proper care of its children is actively throwing away its future.
That is why the role of those among us who are tasked with moulding our young into exemplary citizens carry a momentous responsibility and should therefore be beyond reproach.
The mandate that is carried by people such as teachers, who by the sheer nature of their job are perhaps the biggest single moulders of how people turn out later in life – and by extension – determine the success of people.
It is in this vein that we take umbrage to the actions of five teachers who opted to back a man accused of sexually abusing young school boys by supporting him in court.
Beside the alleged rape of the three young boys – aged between seven and nine – the accused is under investigation for 15 sexual offences.
He is said to have taken advantage of his position of trust as a counsellor at a school, which afforded him access to vulnerable children.
His alleged nefarious activities were brought to light when a pupil told a parent about a game called “monster touch” that the kid said he had been playing with the counsellor.
Upon investigation of the boy’s claims, it was medically determined the boy had been sodomised.
The teacher appeared in court last Monday when schools reopened for the third term. This means the five other teachers neglected their responsibility to be in class to lend their support to a dubious fellow.
It is a serious dereliction of duty on their part, smacking almost of complicity in the abuse of the children.
We therefore welcome the stance taken by management at the school, whose chairman of the governing body announced the suspension of the five pending an investigation by a higher authority into their conduct.
We also commend the school for inviting the provincial authorities to hold a children’s rights and protection awareness drive in the community.
They also announced that further counselling would be arranged for children who had come into contact with the suspected abuser.
The five teachers, and some parents, might well have what they consider sound reasons to support the alleged paedophile, but in our book the interest of the children comes first. So should it be for the school management, and judging by the way they handled the matter, it is.
Children are the most vulnerable in any society and if anyone were to err, they need to do so on the side of caution – fighting for children.
We commend the school for the stance it took and call on the department to put proper checks and balances in place to ensure these kinds of predators are not allowed anywhere near our children.