Teachers are guardians,“in loco parentis”
This week we were treated to a video depicting a student in apparent pain. It is not clear what the cause of her pain was, nor is it relevant really. What was clear, was that the student was undergoing grave pain, and calling for her mother. The video sparked a firestorm of emotive reactions from some sections of society.
Some were concerned that people had time to take the video, instead of attending to the child who was literally, rolling on the ground. I doubt that the attack on the teachers, for taking the video, were really justified. To begin with, as one friend said, there is no evidence that the video was in fact taken by a teacher.
I would assume too, that the child was helped somehow. I cannot imagine that all teachers would have gone back to their duties, leaving the child on the ground, even if some may have the fortitude to do so.
What I found disturbing, were the attitudes of some teachers regarding their duties towards the children entrusted to their care. Their reactions were dismissive, to say the least. Many went ahead, to blame parents for the bad behaviour of the students, instead of focusing on what ought to have been done to help the child. Some, went as far as to say that children’s medical emergencies are not part of their job descriptions and that their work went only as far, as delivering content.
Children’s medical emergencies, were none of their business. I knew, at that point, that the problem with our education system was broader that the simple question of government’s unfair treatment of teachers, and its neglect of teacher concerns. We have people in the teaching profession, who simply shouldn’t be there. People with bad attitudes, who should not be entrusted with any person’s child.
Hear me out; I am not absolving any parent from responsibility over their children’s conduct. It is not my case that teachers have a primary duty to ensure the children under their care are well behaved.
I readily admit that is the duty of the primary parents, or guardians as the case may be. To argue otherwise would be to put an unfair burden on teachers.
But to hear a teacher argue that a child who falls sick in front of them is none of their business because the medical emergencies of students are not part of their job description is a load of tripe. In fact, it is criminal at the very least, and evil, at the worst. Such individuals do not deserve to be where they are, and are a national shame. They must be removed from the profession.
A teacher is a guardian in loco parentis to a child. That is a legal relationship, as opposed to a contractual relationship. It has nothing to do with a teacher’s job description. It is a duty imposed by law, not by contract, for all the right reasons. What the coinage means, is that a teacher is a parent, in the place and stead of the primary parent, for the hours the child is entrusted to its care.
Where there is a medical emergency, the teacher must do what a parent would do or they may be legally, as opposed to contractually, liable.
The motley lot that disavow responsibility over the medical emergencies of children, are part of the problem. These are teachers with really bad attitudes. Thankfully, they do not represent the majority of teachers, who are ever cognisant of both their contractual and legal obligations. I have been to a public school and I have never seen, in my 18 years of primary and secondary schooling, seen teachers neglecting a sick child, because, the child is either a seganana, or their medical situation is not in their job description. The issue of rights is being taken too far, if it will be applied to children’s medical emergencies. After all, a child, is a child.
Of course children will come in different characters. I would assume that would be part of teacher training, even if the situation may be more complicated on the ground. Some will be drug addicts; some will be violent; some will be alcoholics, while some will simply be bullies. Some might even assault teachers, which is gravely reprehensible.
There is and can be no guarantee what every child admitted to a public school would attend class wearing their best manners, any more than it can be guaranteed that any teacher who comes to work, will be wearing their best manners.
Some teachers have fought amongst themselves, and have on occasion even, assaulted their superiors. But if they were to fall sick while at work, it would be remiss of the head teacher to say; “motlogeleng, ke seganana”.
No doubt, the teaching profession must be really challenging regard being had to all the hooligans we throw at it. But surely, every profession has its own unique challenges.
It comes with the territory, even if it might not be acceptable. If it is too much for you, surely, you might just be in the wrong place. I have, in my line of duty, dealt with a situation where a child’s medical emergency was ignored and it died. By all means, teachers with bad attitudes, must be removed from schools. They are a danger, to our children.