Not policy to strip search learners‚ says Limpopo education department

The Department of Education in Limpopo has ordered an investigation into an incident where pupils were allegedly asked to undress in order to make sure that they did not have exam crib notes.

The Democratic Alliance in Limpopo reported teachers at the HS Phillips Secondary School in Elim‚ Makhado Municipality‚ to the SA Council for Educators for allegedly forcing pupils to undress and undergo searches for exam crib notes.

The incident allegedly took place before learners wrote their midyear examinations last week.

The DA lodged a complaint with SACE‚ saying that the privacy of grade 11 and 12 learners was violated at the school.

“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