Education authorities in Luweero district are planning a measure that will see teachers caught defiling learners expelled from the profession, by allowing the cancellation of their academic qualifications.
According to the area district education officer, Florence Bbosa Sekitooleko, the move is intended as a deterrent against repeat offenders.
She explained that they had noted that while some of the culprits had been prosecuted and punished, they returned to other schools after their jail terms to commit the same offence.
“The hope that their papers are not cancelled renders them unremorseful … so, we want to make it impossible for them to commit these offenses elsewhere.
Sekitooleko’s comments came as she addressed 114 graduands at Luteete Primary Teachers’ College in Bamunanika, last week.
“The teaching profession is under threat today due to the increasing reports showing that teachers themselves entrusted with shaping students are again abusing them sexually … We cannot tolerate this,” she said, adding: “We are going to start cancelling your papers, we think this will deter other would-be defilers.”
Molesting students is against the teacher’s professional code of ethics. The Uganda Penal Code Act defines defilement as a sexual act with someone under the age of 18. However, the punishment for attempted defilement doesn’t exceed 18 months in jail.
According to the police crime report for 2015, 8,954 defilement cases were registered across the country, with nearly half of the offenders being teachers.
Now, Sekitooleko says she has devised legal measures that she hopes will be passed by her district and later the government to guard against repeat offenders.
She said school administrators need to come up with stringent rules that bar teachers from sending students to their houses.
“Whenever a male teacher sends these young girls to his house, the closeness begins and when it develops further, it breeds defilement. Not to save such situations, no student should be allowed in a teacher’s house,” she added.
The principal of Luteete PTC, Moses Otieno, used the event to ask government for financial support, arguing that they lack necessary facilities to prepare teachers adequately to serve all over the country.
bernardbakalu@gmail.com
