Female pupils at Jordao College in Towerby were allegedly forced to remove their underwear and have it inspected by teachers after a cleaner found a used condom in the school’s toilet.
It was understood that following the discovery, the principal ordered teachers to check the underwear of all girls from grade 10-12 for possible indicators of sexual activity.
Newly appointed Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi condemned the alleged behaviour of the school’s staff and has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.
“I really believe what happened here was completely unacceptable, the dignity of children cannot be undermined,” he said.
Lesufi was speaking after a meeting with the school’s principal and management where he was given a “full” report of the incident.
“We’ve agreed that we need to apologise unreservedly to all parents and to South Africans. We believe it is very important that we respect the dignity of girls… This is not the way to treat girls, we should protect their rights.”
Lesufi said the matter had been handed over to the Human Rights Commission, and the department would wait for the commission to conclude its investigation and hand over its report before taking any further action.
However, he stressed the urgency of the matter saying, “I do not want prolonged reports… I need this matter to be attended to as quickly as possible.”
In the interim, the school would issue a letter of apology to every parent and the department planned to issue a statement, apologising to all South Africans for the incident.
Counsellors had also been sent to the school to assist affected pupils.
