The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has rejected claims that low-paid teachers are resorting to prostitution to supplement their salaries.
”While it is true that many teachers are paid low salaries, the union refutes the implication that low-paid teachers are becoming prostitutes to augment their salaries,” Sadtu president Willie Madisha said on Tuesday.
It is important teachers be respected as they are role-models for children and adults, he said.
He was reacting to a claim by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) that teachers are engaging in risky sexual behaviour to supplement their salaries.
Teachers are becoming more vulnerable to HIV infection by engaging in risky sexual behaviour, HSRC CEO Olive Shisana told a Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Cape Town last week.
The Education Department should be doing more to implement an HIV/Aids programme for teachers, she said.
Shisana could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. — Sapa