The Department of Basic Education says it is baffled that educators still commit incidents of unprofessional conduct against learners.
This follows the release by the South African Council for Educators (SACE) of its annual report which shows the prevalence of sexual misconduct and use of corporal punishment by teachers.
The report indicates that more than 500 complaints were laid against educators between April 2017 and March this year.
There is however a slight decrease in sexual misconduct and corporal punishment cases compared to the previous financial year.
Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says Provincial Departments must act swiftly against those found guilty.
“We will continue to talk to our teachers, and remind them that the law doesn’t allow them to do the things that they are doing… but also urge provinces to take tough action against those that are found guilty… we know that many have been dismissed, others are being investigated, and we hope that those incidents will be used as deterrent to discourage other teachers from doing the same.”
