“Boys and girls were searched separately by having their clothing removed. Some learners were not wearing any underwear and suffered obvious humiliation and anxiety as a result‚” said DA MPL Jacques Smalle.
The SACE teachers’ code of conduct states that they must respect the dignity and constitutional rights of learners‚ which includes the right to privacy and confidentiality.
Smalle said the alleged incident amounted to “despicable and archaic conduct” and needed to be urgently investigated.
Spokesperson of the Limpopo Department of Education Naledzani Rasila said the matter was being investigated.
“We have heard about that incident from a community radio station and we immediately took action. We have assigned the district to investigate the matter.
“If the learners are found to be cheating‚ the invigilator has the rules that he or she must apply. One of them is to remove whatever the learner had and ensure that the learner does not continue writing that particular paper. The searching and stripping of learners has never been a policy of the government‚” Rasila said.
The DA said it would inform Limpopo education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe about the incident and request that implicated teachers be suspended‚ pending an investigation.
“We will also request that social workers are dispatched to provide counselling to these learners‚ especially those who were forced to remain naked in full view of all the teachers and learners‚” Smalle said.
- TimesLIVE