By Lloyd Burr
The Government has released findings of an investigation into how a convicted sex offender managed to work as a teacher at numerous primary schools for several years.
The report highlights systemic failures across multiple Government departments with Education Minister Hekia Parata calling it a “wake up call”.
More than 30 recommendations have been made which include overhauls in information sharing between Government departments, in-depth identity checks, tougher name-change policies and changes to processes at the Teachers’ Council and Education Ministry.
The findings also shine more light on Henry Te Rito Miki, 40, who was found to have used multiple false identities to apply for jobs as a teacher at seven different schools in the upper North Island.
Miki used 53 different names, one of which was stolen from a real person who was a fully qualified and properly registered teacher.
In doing so, he committed fraud and breached an order to stay away from children because of a previous conviction for indecent assault on his 14-year-old nephew. He had other assault convictions too.
At the time his sentence was handed down, the judge referred to the presence of sexual deviance and psychopathy and mentioned an increased likelihood of sexual recidivism.
But despite this, Miki managed to gain employment at a number of schools before being caught. The report says this is a “potentially dangerous system failure”.
Ms Parata launched a ministerial inquiry into the issue in February after the ordeal was made public. Miki registered as a teacher in 2000 and was convicted for his assault crimes in 2004.
After his arrest in February, he pleaded guilty to charges of breaching conditions of an extended supervision order and was sent to prison for four years. He wasn’t charged with identity fraud or otherwise.
The report says existing laws and processes “failed to detect illegal or improper activity” and resulted in a failure to detect Miki’s criminal activity.
It also says human error and “administrative oversight” played a role but the sole responsibility lay with Miki who “lacked civic responsibility” and had no understanding of the risk he posed to children.
Ms Parata says the Government will accept most of the recommendations and the rest will be considered or partially accepted.
The recommendations include:
- Examining if the Teacher’s Council’s allocation of practising certificates is sufficient enough for school board of trustees to reply on when hiring teachers
- Review the Teachers’ Council disciplinary tribunal
- Review the systems where any issues of concern over the conduct of teachers be raised by principals or board chairs
- The Police Commissioner investigate why no further charges were laid on Miki other than a breach of the supervision order
- A police check is done when a teacher moves from provisional to full registration
- Implementing a GPS tracking system for Miki
- Review the framework around teacher practising certificates
- Examine the existence, need and demand for 26 different teacher training institutions
- The Teachers’ Council and Education Ministry be notified when a registered teacher applies for a name-change
- Biometric photos identifying teachers be introduced for all stages of a teacher’s employment
- Data-sharing between Government departments be reviewed and new protocols put in place.
Ms Parata says the ordeal involving Miki was due to systems failures rather than people failures and it was an exceptional circumstance.
“I am confident the current system provides safety within our schools... The report requires we be more vigilant in the system,” she says.
“There are areas that need strengthening overall to prevent the kind of exploitation that this case exposed.”
The ministerial was conducted by former ombudsman Mel Smith and former Education Review Office chief executive Judith Aitken.
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