Teachers’ unions back Child Protection Register checks for school staff
Updated Aug. 4, 2026, 5:23 p.m. | By Simphiwe Gumede Unions say the move will strengthen learner safety while upholding the integrity and professionalism of…
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Updated Aug. 4, 2026, 5:23 p.m. | By Simphiwe Gumede
Unions say the move will strengthen learner safety while upholding the integrity and professionalism of the teaching profession.
Teachers’ unions in KZN have welcomed the commitment to have all public-school teachers vetted within the next seven months in order to keep children safe.
It's part of a court settlement that the country's education authorities reached with the Teddy Bear Foundation.
The organisation had gone to the High Court over what it said was the failure by multiple government departments to keep, maintain and implement the National Child Protection Register.
The foundation, and its legal representative Section 27, took legal action after they discovered that a school caretaker who was convicted of raping a primary school pupil over a decade ago, had still not been added to the register.
Under the settlement reached, all current education employees must be vetted against the National Child Protection Register by March next year.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union in the province says it's an important step in protecting both learners and the integrity of the teaching profession.
The union's Nomarashiya Caluza adds that the process has already begun in KZN.
“This register can ensure that only teachers with super morals are appointed in schools and are entrusted with children or learners.
“There's nothing that will be betraying the labour rights of teachers here, because what is said is that teachers must be vetted to ensure that no criminal is appointed to teach our learners.”
While the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa says the settlement addresses longstanding systemic failures that have allowed some individuals convicted of abuse to evade proper vetting procedures.
It says schools must remain safe spaces where learners can develop free from abuse, intimidation and exploitation.
“Educators and all adults that are entrusted with the care of learners must keep the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct. The union calls for the full and timely implementation of this court order to ensure that every learner is protected,” says the union’s Thirona Moodley.
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