Cape Town teacher in hot water for allegedly instructing pupils to partially strip

A teacher from Rosebank Junior School in Cape Town is facing disciplinary action after he allegedly ordered pupils to partially strip because of theft at the school.

The sports coach, who is a school governing body appointment, allegedly gave the instruction after money belonging to two pupils went missing.

Western Cape education department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said a meeting was held with parents of the grade 6 learners at the school on Monday. The incident happened last week.

Hammond said the conduct of the coach was not acceptable or in line with procedure.

"The principal has reported that the parents who were present at the meeting accepted the fact that the intention was not to cause embarrassment or humiliation, but rather to try and resolve the theft issue," she said.

She said counselling and support would be provided for the learners at the school.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed that a case of crimen injuria had been opened.

The province's schools have been in the spotlight recently after two were rocked by drama.

At Abedare Primary in Delft last week, an allegation surfaced that some learners were locked up as a form of punishment for not having a R2 on casual day.

Hammond said the department investigated the incident and asked both the teacher and the learners to provide their versions of events.

"In all cases, the teacher, assistant and the learners confirmed that they were not locked in a classroom. The accused teacher left the classroom with the rest of the class to attend a Miss Valentine function in the school hall.

"The learners who had not paid the R2 were asked to go to this specific classroom," said Hammond.

She said there were a total of 16 learners from two classes in the room, supervised by the teacher's assistant. "They all confirmed that the security gate was not locked, but closed. During the period, learners were in and out of the classroom and moved onto the corridor. The learners confirmed these statements," she said.

The department also informed schools that fundraisers during school time that exclude learners are unacceptable. "Schools are places of hope and inclusiveness, therefore no learner should be excluded from any activity during school time because they are unable to afford the costs of a fundraiser," said Hammond.

The incidents in Rosebank and Delft followed another at Sans Souci Girls' High School in Newlands, where a video went viral of a teacher slapping a pupil following an in-class argument. Both the teacher and the pupil were suspended.