Gratia 2nd Semester 2011 to 1st Quarter 2012

CUT’s second Professorial
Inauguration in 2011
Prof. Almon Shumba presented his inaugural address on child
abuse as a form of violence to children, which is practiced by
perpetrators, including some teachers who are entrusted to
protect and guide learners.
Prof. Shumba from the School of Teacher Education in the
Faculty of Humanities, a decorated scholar with more than 58
published articles, 22 papers read at international conferences,
and recently rated as a NRF researcher joined the academic
elite on 14 September 2011. His inaugural address, Child Abuse
in Schools: Issues and Challenges, briefly touched on the three
well-documented abuses; sexual, physical, and emotional, but
also highlighted a fourth abuse called the hidden curriculum. This
abuse was revealed and documented by Prof. Shumba during the
course of his research.
Over that past few years CUT has inaugurated five new full
Professors, with many more to come. In 2010, CUT appointed
five research professors, which is a remarkable academic
achievement for a university of technology.
Teachers play an important part as role models and moral
educators within schools, because they act in loco parentis to
their learners. As such, teachers are expected to guide their
learners and make them aware of their role and place within
society. However, whilst most teachers can be trusted to respect
their learners and not inflict harm, it sometimes happens that a
teacher abuses his or her position of power and authority in the
school and chooses to disregard the human rights of children.
Child rights are human rights, and children are entitled to full
protection from all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation, as
enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child. “Child abuse knows no boundaries,” said Prof. Shumba. He
added that the effects on abused children may include hostility,
aggression, alcoholism, withdrawal from society, and depression.
The hidden curriculum abuse revealed by Prof. Shumba may be
one of the oldest forms of abuse that was neglected and never
well-documented; it refers to children being involved in the
domestic chores of the school and/or teacher. This includes
grocery shopping, babysitting young children, fetching water and/
or firewood, washing a car or clothing, etc.
The hidden curriculum abuse revealed by Prof.
Shumba may be one of the oldest forms of abuse,
which was neglected and never well-documented.
Prof. Shumba ended his inaugural address by stating that
perpetrators of abuse should be blacklisted, and that as a society
we should work hard to make learners aware of such maltreatment.
CUT’s Vision 2020 trajectory has in part the goal of focusing
the world’s attention on CUT and the central region for socioeconomic
development, but also to showcase the outstanding
capacity we have, and with strong researchers of Prof. Shumba’s
calibre this goal will be achieved.
Prof. Almon Shumba, Dr Gift Vinger, Registrar at CUT, Prof. David Ngidi, Dean of the
Faculty of Humanities, and Prof. Isaac Ntshoe, research professor in the field of
Vocational Pedagogy and programme director for the evening.
Prof. Almon Shumba during
his inaugural address
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