Teacher suspended over pupil affair

Gibson Mhaka
A teacher at David Livingstone Memorial Secondary School in Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland North Province has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing over allegations that he fell in love with pupils.

The incident which is the talk of the school was confirmed by Matabeleland North acting provincial education director Jabulani Mpofu and the teacher at the centre of exchanging more than academic information with the pupils is Thabo Siziba.

aï¿½?Yes, I can confirm that there is a case that a teacher at David Livingstone Memorial Secondary School was suspended pending a disciplinary hearing for improper association with a pupil.

aï¿½?These are still allegations since the hearing has not yet been done,aï¿½? said Mpofu.

The matter was reportedly brought to light after someone wrote an anonymous letter to the district offices after authorities had allegedly tried to sweep the matter under the carpet.

According to sources Sizibaaï¿½ï¿½s illicit involvement with pupils came to light after he was allegedly busted caressing a Form Three pupil that he was reportedly in love with.

aï¿½?The matter was reported to the education offices after authorities at the school tried to keep it a secret. Teachers and pupils who were close to the incident were sternly charged not to reveal it to anyone until someone who felt that the safety of the children should be a top priorityAï¿½ at the school wrote an anonymous letter to the district offices.aï¿½?

Meanwhile, last week a female teacher at Zwangendaba High School in Matabeleland North was also caught up in a lesbianism storm amid claims that some schoolgirls were fighting over her after she proposed love to them.

Recently the Zimbabwe Teachersaï¿½ï¿½ Association (Zimta)aï¿½ï¿½s legal department said cases of teachersaï¿½ï¿½ improper association with pupils had increased and there was a need to bring the malpractice to an end. This was highlighted in the legal departmentaï¿½ï¿½s report by Advocate Edzai Matika, Zimtaaï¿½ï¿½s legal advisor, at the associationaï¿½ï¿½s 4th Annual National Conference in Harare.

aï¿½?Cases of improper association with minors have also not declined and all the teachers found guilty of this offence are being discharged from the service with no hope of joining the service again,aï¿½? he noted.