THE alleged sexual misconduct involving a teacher and a learner at Bonda Girls High School has once again sparked national debate on child protection in Zimbabwe.
While investigations are ongoing and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the incident has raised uncomfortable questions that extend beyond it.
It compels us to examine whether our schools, parents and the children themselves are doing enough to prevent such cases.
Teachers occupy a position of immense trust.
Under the principle of in loco parentis, they assume parental responsibilities while learners are in their care.
Parents entrust schools with what they value most—their children—with the expectation that they will be educated, protected and nurtured in a safe environment.
When a teacher allegedly exploits that position of trust, it is not merely a breach of professional ethics.
It is a violation of a child’s right to safety and a betrayal of public confidence in the education system.
Academic Dr Kowanai Mhlanga believes the law must deal firmly with educators who abuse that trust while reminding society that professional responsibility always rests with the adult.
“A teacher acts in loco parentis [in the place of a parent]. Anyone who exploits a learner deserves the full weight of the law. Regardless of the circumstances, the responsibility always rests with the adult. Every teacher should ask themselves one question:’ if this were my own child?’”
Yet while individual accountability is essential, it is not enough.
The bigger question is whether this incident could have been prevented.
Reports indicate that the learner was allegedly transported in a teacher’s private vehicle to his his place of residence.
Regardless of what may have happened afterwards, these actions alone raise serious safeguarding concerns.
Professional child protection standards exist precisely to prevent situations where learners are isolated with adults in positions of authority.
This raises difficult but necessary questions.
Were there warning signs that were overlooked?
Were there previous concerns that were never reported?
Were school safeguarding procedures being consistently enforced?
Research on violence against children shows that predatory behaviour rarely begins with the final act.
It often starts with seemingly harmless boundary violations, special treatment, excessive attention, private communication, unnecessary gifts or opportunities to isolate a learner.
These behaviours should trigger concern long before abuse occurs.
Child rights advocate Hazel Shambambeva says effective safeguarding depends on active Child Protection Committees, continuous staff training, confidential reporting mechanisms and a school culture where both learners and staff feel safe to report concerns without fear of victimisation.
She emphasises that policies alone do not protect children; their consistent implementation does.
Schools must also invest more deliberately in life skills just as much as learner education.
Children should understand that when a teacher initiates a romantic or sexual relationship, it is not a sign that they are special, exceptional or more mature than others.
Rather, it is a form of grooming and exploitation by an adult abusing a position of authority.
Learners also need age-appropriate education on the emotional, psychological and physical consequences of such abuse, including their increased vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies.
Equally important is dismantling the misconception that teacher sexual misconduct only occurs in isolated rural or disadvantaged schools.
Cases have emerged from elite private schools, urban schools, boarding schools and remote communities alike.
No school is immune.
Parents and guardians, therefore, have a responsibility to educate and empower their children, regardless of where they attend school.
Another issue demanding urgent attention is the culture of silence.
Communities often notice inappropriate behaviour but choose not to speak.
Parents hear rumours. Learners confide in friends.
Colleagues observe unusual familiarity between teachers and particular students.
Yet many remain silent because they fear confrontation, damaging reputations or being accused of spreading gossip.
Silence is never an option.
Every adult has a responsibility to report suspected child abuse or safeguarding concerns.
Waiting for conclusive proof before raising concerns may allow abuse to continue unchecked.
Early reporting creates opportunities for investigation and intervention before more children are harmed.
Schools must also rethink how they deliver guidance and counselling.
Far too often these sessions have become routine exercises conducted merely to satisfy policy requirements or complete the school timetable.
Child protection cannot be reduced to a box-ticking exercise.
Guidance and counselling should become safe spaces where learners are empowered to understand personal boundaries, grooming behaviours, abuse of authority, digital safety and the importance of reporting inappropriate conduct.
Learners should know the reporting pathways, meaning exactly where to seek help and trust that they will be believed when they speak.
Continuous professional development for teachers should reinforce professional ethics, safeguarding obligations and appropriate relationships with learners.
Every interaction with learners must reflect the highest standards of integrity.
The role of education inspectors and learner welfare officials must be further strengthened.
School inspections often focus heavily on administrative compliance, curriculum delivery and infrastructure.
There is an opportunity to strengthen safeguarding by ensuring that inspectors have structured, confidential engagement with learners during school visits.
Such interactions could provide learners with safe opportunities to report concerns while enabling inspectors to assess whether child protection systems are functioning in practice rather than merely existing on paper.
Recruitment practices equally require greater scrutiny.
There have been concerns that some schools employ teachers who were previously dismissed from the public education system for misconduct because they are available as relatively inexpensive labour.
If adequate background checks are not undertaken, such practices may expose learners to avoidable risks.
Schools, regardless of ownership, should adopt rigorous safeguarding recruitment procedures, including verification of disciplinary records and professional references before appointing staff.
Parents also remain central to child protection.
Open communication at home, active involvement in children’s lives and encouraging children to report uncomfortable situations without fear of blame all contribute to safer schools.
Ultimately, safeguarding children cannot depend solely on the character of individual teachers.
It requires robust institutional systems, vigilant leadership, strengthened oversight, ethical recruitment practices and communities willing to act when something appears wrong.
The Bonda Girls High School case should, therefore, become more than another headline that dominates public discussion for a few days before fading away.
It should prompt every school to review its safeguarding policies, every educator to reflect on professional ethics, education authorities to strengthen inspection and recruitment systems, every parent to engage more closely with their children, and every community member to reject silence.
Because when the protector becomes the predator, the entire system has failed the child.
Protecting children is a shared responsibility.
It begins with strong policies, continues through ethical leadership, vigilant oversight, and empowered learners, and succeeds only when every adult understands that safeguarding children is everyone’s business.
- Simbarashe Kanyimo and Rumbidzayi Marevegwa are researchers with the Africa University Child Rights Research Centre