Leave Our Girls Alone Irresponsible Teachers

In the middle of last week, a little story with far-reaching implications made it to the pages of some newspapers. It could not make it to the front pages because these days   when teachers fondle with vital parts of their pupils in primary and Junior High Schools (JHS) it is no longer strange. In other words, it is becoming normal if it has not become so already. This is scary and calls for immediate action to stem it. It would appear that the existing laws are not deterrent enough.

The reason some of these girls would even allow their teachers to sleep with them and in some instances impregnate them is occasioned by multiple factors some of them being poverty and ignorance. Many of these abuses take place in the rural areas instructively.

Although such nasty developments are recorded in the urban centres too, they are not as rampant as in the hinterland where anything goes as it were.

The issue under review is about the teacher who was reported to have had multiple sex sessions with the young girl who had just completed JHS. She could have been awaiting her results. We imagine the amount of money, the sacrifice her parents put in to get her to that level only for a teacher to exploit her vulnerability to that extent.

We are unsure as to whether it was the teacher who broke her hymen. He could have been responsible for that but if he was not it just shows how much girls are susceptible to abuse by irresponsible adults in society.

What befell the girl could have been taken up by the community in which she lived decades ago when everybody was their neighbours’ keepers.

We have composed several editorials about this subject each time such stories make it to the media even though many more remain unreported the reason being the stigma attached to such occurrences.

It behoves us to, as responsible citizens, come to the aid of our daughters, nieces et all so that irresponsible persons do not exploit them.

Education, especially now that the free SHS project has been operationalized, should be made available to all so that when the irresponsible teachers and others in society vent their uncontrollable libidos on innocent girls, they must be stopped at all costs and punished appropriately to provide effective deterrent.

Perhaps South Africa has become the worst country in terms of rape because when it started on a small scale, society watched on unconcerned until it assumed the level it has today.

We cannot afford to replicate that practice here. Parents too must be mindful about their daughters so that when changes are observed, as they do when they are being abused by men, the necessary action to arrest the situation can be applied.

If the country is spending so much on education it must be ready to institute measures to instill discipline among teachers and others in society. Ours girls, our treasure!

Source: Daily Guide