Most parents with children in matric will have recently received their child’s marks for their preliminary school leaving exams. For some, this brings a tremendous amount of panic, and often, it is precisely what the learner needs to kick them into committing to studying for the final exams. Unfortunately, the Department of Education has many challenges it tries to face that are not often related to the education of learners. They have programmes to improve infrastructure, social cohesion and school safety, and efforts are underway to increase learners’ access to transport, connectivity and learning resources. Still, it does not seem to help improve the matric pass rate from 76% over the past two years.
Parents understand the importance of education and a worthwhile qualification and will often consider hiring a tutor for their child. When parents find a tutor, if they do not merely take a recommendation, they would be advised to consider:
- The Tutor’s Teaching Ability
- The Tutor’s Subject Knowledge
- Availability
- Cost
- Whether to use an agency or an individual
Sadly, there is no advice for parents about a background check on a tutor, and often, these people are allowed free access into the home and can be left alone with the child.
The South Africa Council of Educators’ (SACE) Act requires that all educators register with the South African Council of Educators before appointment to a teaching post. No person may be employed as an educator by an employer unless that person is registered with the Council. To have a valid registration, the teacher must do the following:
- Criminal Record Check
- Sexual Offenders Database Check
- Copies of Identity Documents
- Copies of Qualification Records
- If Foreign, copy of valid passport and work permit OR a valid proof of a refugee permit together with a refugee ID
Yet, a tutor may not even be a qualified teacher or could be a retired or ex-teacher whose SACE registration is not current. When hiring a tutor or instructor to work with your children, the due diligence of vetting that person’s background may fall on you unless they come through an agency that insists on a background check.
The following checks are recommended when hiring a tutor.
- SACE Registrations – if applicable
- ID Verification
- Criminal Record Check
- Social Media Risk Assessment
- Contact Trace
- Independent Reference Check