A college staff member has been banned from the classroom indefinitely after creating sexualised characters for students to see and sending explicit messages. Gaio Ze Kouyate, a virtual world learning specialist at Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC), used his work laptop to send sexually explicit messages, created sexualised avatars within the college's virtual campus which staff and students could access and failed to ensure safeguarding measures to protect learners from accessing inappropriate content, an Education Workforce Council (EWC) fitness to practise hearing was told.

The panel heard such sexualised avatars had exaggerated breasts, genitalia and hips and that he also suggested to one or more colleagues that students could change their dates of birth to allow them access to material on the college's virtual world system that was restricted to under-18s. He also created inappropriate transgender and "homosexual" avatars and an over-sexualised female murder victim avatar in a virtual crime scene he created for the forensic learning department. Previously he had been tasked with creating the CAVC virtual campus on the Second Life virtual space, where CAVC students could create avatars who could walk around the virtual CAVC campus and chat while lecturers could also design learning activities within it.

The panel previously heard Kouyate was suspended on full pay after it was discovered that he used his work laptop and CAVC avatar to go into the Second Life virtual space and access "inappropriate sexualised content." This was flagged because although it was not within the CAVC virtual campus that existed on the Second Life, Kouyate was accessing the content from a work laptop and was identifiable as a college staff member.

Kouyate did not attend the hearing but the committee heard he had a previous good history and good character and had expressed regret and remorse during the college's investigation. The committee heard he told the investigation he was "so embarrassed", felt stupid, that it would not happen again and was not a reflection of him as person.

The committee said Kouyate's conduct had been deliberate, that he had chosen not to engage in EWC proceedings and failed to apologise to them. They also said Kouyate had a "degree of autonomy not appropriate for his role." Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

On five allegations the committee said Kouyate's actions were proved and amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and on two allegations said his actions were proved but did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct.

The following allegations against Kouyate, while he was employed at Cardiff and Vale College were found proved and not proved:

That:

1. On or around October 18, 2022, he used his CAVC laptop to:
a) access content that was inappropriate and/or sexual in nature - Proved
b) send sexually explicit messages - Proved
2. In relation to his conduct at the allegations 1a and/or 1b above he did this whilst using an avatar
which was, or appeared to be, the same or similar to his CAVC avatar - Proved but did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct

3. Between 2021 and 2022, he:
a) failed to ensure there were adequate safeguarding controls to protect learners from potential
exposure to inappropriate content as part of the development and/or management of the
CAVC virtual campus - Proved but did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct

b) created sexualised avatars within the CAVC virtual campus - Proved
c) provided Colleague A with a link to a spreadsheet containing usernames and passwords for the
CAVC virtual campus, thus enabling uncontrolled access to this information - Proved
d) inappropriately suggested to one or more colleagues, that learners could change their dates of
birth to allow them to access material on the Second Life system that was otherwise restricted
for those under 18 years of age - Proved

The EWC hearing imposed a prohibition order of no less than two years, removing Kouyate from the education register. He may not make an application for restoration to the register before two years has elapsed. If he does not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the register after this period he will remain prohibited indefinitely. The EWC committee said: "His actions were fundamentally incompatible with continuing in his profession and a prohibition order was imposed to maintain public confidence in the regulatory process."