Pretoria - The South African Council of Educators (SACE) on Monday warned individuals using fake qualifications to teach in South African schools to “run” before they are caught and exposed.
“Any educator currently in the schools, that is teaching or knowing that they have fraudulent qualifications - run. We are starting now with the independent and private schools, we are verifying qualifications with the educators. We go to the schools personally,” SACE chief operations officer Tsedi Dipholo told reporters in Pretoria.
“We will be going now to our public schools. We will get there.”
The Council has been dealing with numerous cases relating to teachers using fraudulent qualifications to secure jobs. The fraudsters often produce qualifications from the University of Zululand, Unisa and the University of North West.
SACE chief executive Rej Brijraj said it has discovered that 20 teachers had been plying their trade based on the fraudulently acquired qualifications.
“All new applications [for teachers to be registered with SACE which is compulsory] for the past 18 months are vetted and qualifications verified in office. The Council is now working together with universities, education departments and the South African Qualifications Authority to ensure that all qualifications of all teachers are authentic,” said Brijraj.
“The Council warns teachers who are teaching with fraudulent qualifications to LEAVE the profession immediately. Council will de-register such teachers and report them to the relevant authorities. Teaching with fraudulent qualifications is a criminal offence.”
Regarding the ethical conduct of educators, Brijraj said that in the past year alone, 593 complaints were processed against teachers. A total of 77 hearings were instituted resulting in 70 educators being found guilty, two were absolved and five cases were withdrawn.
“Twenty-five (teacher) registrations were struck off the roll indefinitely, while five were struck off for definite periods. Forty educators received other sanctions,” said Brijraj.
“Contrary to some perceptions, SACE is not lenient to teachers, or [does not] treat teachers with kid gloves when they are in breach of the Code of Ethics. On the contrary, it takes very stern action when teachers are involved in sexual misconduct, corporal punishment or illicit activities.”
Brijraj said his institution was proposing amendments to the SACE Act, to allow it to publish names of educators struck off the roll. Employers were urged to check with SACE the professional standing of any teacher.
For the period under review - from April 1 to November 10 - a total of 50 sexual abuse cases and 140 cases of corporal punishment of learners were received.
From April to October this year, a total of 33 educators were struck off the roll of educators indefinitely and their names were forwarded to the department of social development to be included on the register of persons declared unfit to work with children.
Statistics of the teachers struck off the roll indicated that the offenses by the teachers included sexual relationship and impregnation of a learner, rape, selling drugs to a learner, indecent assault of a learner and severe assault of a learner.
On the other hand, in the last financial year, SACE registered 35 262 new educators and updated the registrations of 48 140 teachers.
“As of May 2016, the register had 552 263 full registered [teachers] and 103 706 provisional registrations - of which 21 473 were foreign nationals,” said Brijraj.
About 90 percent of the foreign teachers plying their trade in South Africa were from neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Brijraj emphasised that the foreign educators were “very good teachers”.
African News Agency