A legal interpretation of the duty of care of teachers regarding learner truancy

Abstract

Teachers are the motivating force and role models for many learners in our schools around the country. They take on the role of teacher, parent, diplomat, doctor, police officer, confidant, nanny, disciplinarian and moral compass, among other roles. They are vilified and slated in our media and are often the scapegoats for perceived ills, real or otherwise, found in our schools, to the detriment of the image of the profession. This is especially true where teachers and schools do not have a clear direction and clarity on what their duty of care is as regards truancy, safety and the pastoral role towards learners in our schools. Legislation provides a legal framework for this study, starting with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, and the legal dimensions include the Bill of Rights, various legislative Acts, common law and case law, with terms such as the in loco parentis principle also included, which govern the teacher’s duty of care for learners. The duty of care places an obligation on the teacher in a legal sense through the duty imposed by law, and in the professional sense through the expectation placed on the teacher through the employment contract that the teacher has with the Department of Basic Education. The literature suggests that truancy of learners has many causes and that teachers could be a contributing factor to the causes. Several contributions have been made regarding safety and discipline of learners in schools in South Africa. However, not much appears to have been done in this country to determine the causes of truancy and whether teachers have an influence on its occurrence in schools. The relevant literature further suggests that the social aspects that influence truancy are not clear. The question arises whether teachers should interrogate the social aspects to determine their influence on a case of truancy. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the legal interpretation of the teachers’ duty of care with regard to truancy of learners. A qualitative approach was used for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at schools and with a lawyer and a judge to determine how they view this duty of care in schools, whether pastoral care is practised, and if teachers realise the extent of the law as regards negligence, and their duty as regards truancy especially. The interpretive paradigm would, through the semi-structured interviews, reveal how schools view the duty of care and pastoral care, as well as truancy in schools. The main causes and the extent of truancy in schools, the guidance and support that teachers can expect from the Department of Education to fulfil the seven duties or roles that are expected from teachers in the National Education Policy Act (1996), as well as the common-law duty of in loco parentis, would become clearer. The interviews provided data that no person is above the law and that ignorance of the law is no excuse. The study could be helpful to schools, the Department of Education and universities that train teachers, to include more training on specific issues and case studies involving education law and the duties of teachers, from both a legal and a professional perspective. The Department of Basic Education could find it helpful in monitoring and control at schools about matters involving discipline, safety and care of learners, and the duties of teachers at schools. Although teachers may know something about the duty of care or have heard about it, they are in the dark regarding the interpretation of the legal requirements and the repercussions that could flow from that duty. The second conclusion is that pastoral care appears to be doing well in schools although teachers are under pressure with the implementation of the new syllabus. The third conclusion is that truancy is rife in high schools and that two of the causes, drugs and pregnancy, are chiefly to blame for it and must be addressed. Fourthly, the social structure and the environment in the family should be looked into to try to reduce truancy. The study provides a legal interpretation of the teacher’s duty of care owed to learners, specifically regarding truancy and its causes. It will mean making a contribution to the body of knowledge that will include, but not be limited to, the insight gained by a look into the life world of the teacher regarding learner truancy, as well as taking a factual journey through the courts, discussing cases brought before them. # Onderwysers dien as rolmodelle en bron van motivering vir baie leerders in ons skole landwyd. Hulle vervul die rol van onderwyser, ouer, diplomaat, dokter, polisiebeampte, vertroueling, kinderoppasser, tugmeester en morele kompas, om maar ʼn paar te noem. Hulle word dikwels in die media swart gesmeer, gekritiseer en as sondebokke voorgehou vir gewaande of werklike ongerymdhede wat in ons skole plaasvind, baie keer tot nadeel van die beeld van die beroep. Dit kom veral voor wanneer onderwysers en skole nie duidelike leiding het oor wat hulle sorgsaamheidsplig is rakende stokkiesdraai, veiligheid en hul pastorale rol teenoor leerders in ons skole nie. Wetgewing voorsien ʼn regsraamwerk vir hierdie studie. Dit begin by die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid Afrika wat die Handves van Menseregte omvat, en sluit in verskillende ander wette sowel as die gemene en regspraak. Die wetgewing inkorporeer konsepte soos die in loco parentisbeginsel, wat die sorgsaamheidsplig van onderwysers jeens leerders omskryf. Die sorgsaamheidsplig plaas ‘n regsverpligting op die onderwyser kragtens die wetgewing, tesame met die beroepsvereistes van die dienskontrak met die Departement van Basiese Onderwys. Die literatuur dui daarop dat daar talle redes is waarom leerders stokkies draai en dat onderwysers moontlik ‘n bydraende faktor kan wees. Verskeie bydraes is gelewer ten opsigte van die veiligheid en dissipline van leerders in skole in Suid-Afrika. Dit wil egter voorkom asof daar nog nie veel in die land nagevors is om die oorsake van stokkiesdraaiery te bepaal en of onderwysers ‘n invloed op die voorkoms daarvan in skole het nie. Die betrokke literatuur dui verder daarop dat die sosiale aspekte wat stokkiesdraaiery beїnvloed, nie duidelik is nie. Die vraag ontstaan nou of onderwysers sosiale aspekte moet ondersoek om hulle invloed op ‘n stokkiesdraai-geval te bepaal. Die doel van die studie was om die wetlike interpretasie van die sorgsaamheidsplig van onderwysers teenoor leerders wat stokkiesdraai, te ondersoek. ‘n Kwalitatiewe benadering is gebruik vir hierdie studie. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gevoer by skole en met ‘n regsgeleerde en ‘n regter om te bepaal wat hulle opvatting van die sorgsaamheidsplig in skole is, of pastorale sorg toegepas word en of onderwysers besef wat is die omvang van die wet ten opsigte van nalatigheid en spesifiek hulle plig ten opsigte van stokkiesdraaiery. Hierdie interpretatiewe paradigma bepaal, deur middel van die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude, wat skole se opvattings van die sorgsaamheidsplig en pastorale sorg is, en ook jeens stokkiesdraaiery in skole. Dit kan ook lig werp op watter leiding en ondersteuning onderwysers van die Onderwysdepartement kan verwag om die sewe pligte of rolle van onderwysers wat in die Wet op Nasionale Onderwysbeleid (1996) omskryf word, te kan vervul, asook die gemeneregsplig van in loco parentis. Die onderhoude lewer ook data op wat aantoon dat geen mens bo die reg verhewe is nie en dat onkunde aangaande die reg nie ‘n verskoning is nie. Hierdie studie behoort nuttig te wees vir skole, die Onderwysdepartement en universiteite wat onderwysers oplei, om meer opleiding te verskaf oor spesifieke aspekte en gevallestudies aangaande onderwysreg en die pligte van opvoeders vanuit beide ʼn regsoogpunt en ʼn professionele oogpunt. Die Departement van Basiese Onderwys kan dit nuttig vind in monitering en beheer by skole met betrekking tot dissipline, veiligheid en sorg van leerders, en die pligte van onderwysers by skole. Dit blyk dat, alhoewel onderwysers moontlik iets weet of al gehoor het van die sorgsaamheidsplig, hulle min weet van die wetlike vereiste en die uitwerking daarvan op die plig. Die tweede gevolgtrekking is dat pastorale sorg in skole oënskynlik goed toegepas word alhoewel onderwysers onder druk verkeer met die uitvoering van die nuwe kurrikulum. Die derde gevolgtrekking is dat stokkiesdraaiery algemeen voorkom in die hoërskool en dat dwelms en swangerskap twee hoofoorsake is wat aandag moet kry. Vierdens, moet die sosiale struktuur en die gesinsomgewing ondersoek word om stokkiesdraaiery te probeer verminder. Hierdie studie verskaf ‘n wetlike vertolking van die sorgsaamheidsplig van onderwysers teenoor leerders, spesifiek rakende stokkiesdraai en die oorsake daarvan. Dit lewer ook ‘n bydrae tot die korpus van kennis, onder meer oor die insigte wat die ondersoek verleen in die lewenswêreld van die onderwyser teenoor leerders wat stokkies draai. Ten slotte onderneem dit ‘n feitlike reis deur sommige hofsake oor hierdie kwessie.