Teachers Engage In Sexual Relations With Students - Makula

By Kopano Olesitse
Correspondent | Monday September 7, 2009 00:00

Our children must be taught not to accept material things such as cell-phones and money from teachers as they only want sexual favors from them. 'A Morubana o tswanetse gofa ngwana thuto kana madi?/ should the teacher give students education or money?' asked Makula.

She was speaking during the Basha Lesedi Project national stakeholders meeting on Friday. The Basha Lesedi Project (BLP) is a United States (US) government-funded youth HIV  prevention project led by the Family Health International (FHI) in collaboration with the Botswana Network of AIDS service Organisations (BONASO), HPP, the Botswana Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (BONEPWA) and other stakeholders.

'We also know that one in ten of the female teachers are having sexual relationships with male students, which must also not be tolerated. As parents we not allow our female students to go to school wearing mini-skirts as this is likely to coerce male teachers to have love affairs with students. Some parents contribute to the multiple concurrent sexual partnerships among children as they encourage their girl-children to engage in sexual relationships with older men in exchange for money.

'Mothers with mature girls must warn their children of the possibility of step fathers demanding sex from them. It's common knowledge that some step fathers are having sexual relationships with our girls with or without the knowledge of mothers,' said Makula.
She urged mothers to have good friendships with their children especially girls as they will feel free to expose older men who want to use them. Meanwhile, Chief Baster Jowa of Gambule stated that the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge can only be won if AIDS intervention education is brought to people.

'The AIDS pandemic has negatively affected our economy because billions of Pula are spent on combating the disease instead of national development. Today we continue to record new HIV infections. We  also know that North-East is one of the regions in the country hardest hit by the pandemic. I wish to encourage members of HIV/AIDS organisations to live exemplary lives by not engaging in risky behaviour such that the public may learn from them,' said Jowa.