Kaviveterue Virere
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) parliamentarian Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo has expressed deep concern over the growing trend of teachers using school time to create and upload videos featuring learners on social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, often without parental consent.
Speaking in Parliament last Thursday, she said she will present questions to Sanet Steenkamp, Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, requesting information on how schools are protecting children’s privacy and making sure that Namibia’s child protection laws are being followed.
“Some Namibian teachers are using school time to create and upload content featuring children on social media platforms, usually without obtaining parental consent,” Tjeundo stated. “This is a matter of serious concern.”
She warned that such online exposure might result in exploitation, cyberbullying, and long-term digital injury, citing the Child Care and Protection Act No. 3 of 2015, which requires the protection of children’s privacy and well-being.
“Such practices not only violate the rights of children but also divert attention from the primary mandate of schools, which is teaching and learning,” she added.
Tjeundo is expected to ask the minister to describe how schools make sure that teachers get permission from parents or guardians before uploading pictures of learners on the internet. How schools are keeping an eye on adherence to the Child Care and Protection Act. What proactive steps is the ministry taking to protect students from internet threats, and what programmes are in place to inform teachers about the ethical and legal implications of posting pictures of minors online?
The PDM MP further emphasised that the creation of social media content should never interfere with classroom instruction, urging the ministry to act decisively to protect learners in the digital age.
“Teachers are role models,” Tjeundo concluded. “We must ensure that technology enhances learning, not distracts from it and certainly not at the expense of children’s safety and dignity.”