Court orders Department of Basic Education to check all school staff against Child Protection Register

Following a court-approved agreement, the Department of Basic Education and provincial departments are required to vet all employees against the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) by March 31, 2027.

The High Court of Gauteng's decision aims to strengthen the implementation of the NCPR, requiring educational bodies to improve vetting procedures and ensure the identification and registration of individuals deemed unfit to work with children.

The agreement, which became a court order, obliges the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and provincial education departments to increase compliance with NCPR requirements. This came amid concerns about failures in the timely inclusion in Part B of the register of individuals convicted of sexual offenses or deemed unsuitable for working with children.

The issue was initiated by the Teddy Bear Foundation (TBF), represented by SECTION27, which pointed to systemic flaws in the implementation of this register. These organizations argued that such shortcomings allowed some individuals to evade proper screening, exposing children to undue risk.

The NCPR functions as a child protection mechanism designed to identify individuals unsuitable for working with children and prevent their employment in positions where they have access to learners.

According to the court order, the DBE and provincial education departments must complete the vetting of all current employees against the NCPR by March 31, 2027, providing quarterly progress reports. Furthermore, the departments must ensure that no individual listed in Part B of the register is hired or retained in a position involving contact with children.

The agreement also mandates the integration of NCPR checks into all hiring and appointment processes, and educational bodies must collaborate with the Department of Social Development to strengthen verification mechanisms and ensure accurate record-keeping.

The NAPTOSA education workers' union in KwaZulu-Natal welcomed the court ruling, emphasizing that schools must remain safe places for students to learn and develop, free from exploitation, intimidation, and abuse.

NAPTOSA stated that teachers and all adults responsible for childcare must meet the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct. The union insisted that anyone convicted of sexual offenses or deemed unfit to work with children must be immediately entered into the National Child Protection Register so that such individuals can never again work in places where they have access to learners.

NAPTOSA expressed support for initiatives aimed at strengthening safety measures in schools and protecting children's constitutional rights to safety, dignity, and basic education. The union also commended the Teddy Bear Foundation, SECTION27, DBE, and provincial education departments for reaching an agreement, while calling for the full and timely implementation of the court order.

olhardigital.com.brAugust 4, 18:53

Study points to link between early social media use and lower academic performance in Italian students

Creating social media profiles during pre-adolescence may be correlated with lower academic achievement in subsequent years. An investigation involving over five thousand Italian students identified this correlation, particularly in mathematics and Italian subjects.

According to the research published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, this finding remained even after analysts took into account variables such as students' prior performance, family composition, and parents' educational level.

The difference manifests over the years

In practice, students who chose to postpone starting social media use showed an educational advantage equivalent to about six months of learning when compared to those who created their accounts between the ages of 11 and 12.

To reach this conclusion, scientists examined data from 5,227 students from 28 educational institutions located in northern Italy. This survey collected information on social media engagement between 2023 and 2024 and cross-referenced this data with results obtained in standardized tests for Italian, mathematics, and English.

The research revealed four crucial points: below-expected performance in mathematics and Italian among users who joined social media earlier; no significant disparities in English grades; a connection between frequent phone checking and lower school results; and less parental supervision among students who opened accounts early.

What could explain this result?

It is important to note that the study does not establish that social media is the direct cause of deteriorating academic performance. However, the researchers controlled for various factors that could influence the results, such as students' performance history and inherent family characteristics.

Marco Gui, a researcher at the University of Milano-Bicocca and the study's lead author, commented that there are already consistent pieces of evidence that premature use of these platforms requires attention. He stated: 'I think we now know there is a problem and that it is complex, related to how these platforms are built.'

Gui speculated that one of the possible mechanisms involved is the constant state of attention induced by the applications. He detailed: 'We speculate that one of the mechanisms is this continuous state of alert that social media used on smartphones exerts on the lives of minors.'

The association requires caution

The authors emphasize that the nature of the research is observational, meaning it does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Nevertheless, the correlation between early social media use and lower performance in mathematics and Italian remained stable throughout the analysis.

Additionally, the study found that the advantage of students who delayed opening accounts is equivalent to approximately half the benefit typically associated with intensive school reinforcement programs, and this comparison was used only to quantify the difference found.

The researchers argue that the findings reinforce the urgency of providing guidance to families and educational institutions regarding social media use in the pre-adolescent phase. Concurrently, they suggest that making these platforms less dependent on resources that encourage incessant access can help mitigate this impact.