The Department of Basic Education and provincial departments must complete employee vetting against the National Child Protection Register by 31 March 2027 following a court-approved settlement.
Image: File
The implementation of the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) is set to be strengthened after a Gauteng High Court settlement agreement ordered education authorities to improve vetting processes and ensure people deemed unsuitable to work with children are identified and recorded.
The settlement agreement, which has been made an order of court, requires the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and provincial education departments to strengthen compliance with the NCPR following concerns over failures in ensuring that individuals found guilty of sexual misconduct or otherwise deemed unsuitable to work with children were promptly placed on Part B of the register.
The matter was brought by the Teddy Bear Foundation (TBF), represented by SECTION27, which raised concerns over systemic failures in the implementation of the register.
The organisations argued that these failures allowed some individuals to avoid proper vetting processes, placing children at unnecessary risk.
The NCPR is a child protection mechanism designed to identify people who are unsuitable to work with children and prevent them from being employed in roles where they have access to learners.
Under the court order, the DBE and provincial education departments must complete the vetting of all current employees against the NCPR by 31 March 2027, with quarterly progress reports on the process.
The departments must also ensure that no individual listed on Part B of the register is employed or retained in any child-contact role.
The agreement further requires NCPR screening to be integrated into all recruitment and appointment processes, while the education authorities must work with the Department of Social Development to strengthen verification mechanisms and ensure the register is accurately maintained.
Education union NAPTOSA in KwaZulu-Natal welcomed the court order, saying schools must remain safe spaces where learners can learn and develop free from abuse, intimidation and exploitation.
''NAPTOSA believes that schools must remain safe spaces where learners can learn and develop free from abuse, intimidation and exploitation.
''Educators and all adults entrusted with the care of children must meet the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
The union said educators and all adults entrusted with the care of children must meet the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
“Anyone found guilty of sexual misconduct or deemed unsuitable to work with children should be placed on the National Child Protection Register without delay.
''Such individuals should never again be allowed to work in environments where they have access to learners,” NAPTOSA said.
NAPTOSA said it supported initiatives aimed at strengthening safeguarding measures in schools and protecting children’s constitutional rights to safety, dignity and basic education.
The union also commended the Teddy Bear Foundation, SECTION27, the DBE and provincial education departments for reaching the settlement, while calling for the full and timely implementation of the court order.
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