Wynberg Boys’ Junior School apologises for ‘unacceptable’ hairstyle
UNDER FIRE Wynberg Boys’ Junior School has apologised for a warning letter sent to a parent for his Grade 1 son’s “unacceptable” hairstyle.
In the letter, the school objected to the child’s hair being cut with a step and gave Ngqiqo Mahlutshana, father of 7-year-old pupil Lebone Ramedupe until today to have his son’s hair cut or face “disciplinary action”.
The boy’s haircut “did not comply with the school’s code of conduct” and, until it was changed, Lebone “would not be allowed to go out on the playground during break”, according to the letter.
Mahlutshana had said he found the letter to be bullying, intimidating and also very prescriptive.
He said the issue was not about haircuts, but how the school approached the situation in a ‘form-letter’ of bygone times.
Mahlutshana met school principal Cedric Poleman on Friday.
Later, in a statement by the Wynberg Old Boys’ Union, Poleman said: “I met Mr Mahlutshana as soon as he could be available on Friday, and fully agreed with him that the letter signed off was a relic of a previous era. Wynberg Boys’ Junior School apologises without qualification, and commits to a review of all letters and notifications. My concern is that his son is protected from the social media frenzy, and (I) hope all our Wynberg Family stand together in our joint commitment to building forward.”
Yesterday, Mahlutshana said the matter had been resolved and there would be no change to his son’s hairstyle.
“They have agreed they will not pursue what was contained in the letter sent to us and they will not treat our child any differently,” said Mahlutshana.
He said the school also did not stipulate how his son’s hair should be cut.
“There is no clear indication as to what is expected for black kids. The real issue was the tone of the letter, which we found bullying.”
Lebone’s mother, Rachel Ramedupe, said she was satisfied with the way the school had dealt with the matter to date.
“We are happy with the fact that they called us into a meeting and let us know they have an open-door policy.”
Spokesperson for education MEC Debbie Schäfer, Jessica Shelver said it was important that all schools ensure that their codes of conduct represented an inclusive society in line with the values of the constitution.
“Discipline and authority is required at all schools,” she said.
Last year Schäfer urged all schools to review their codes of conduct to ensure that they are in line with the values of the constitution, and representative of the school community after Sans Souci Girls’ High School pupils protested against what they called institutionalised racism perpetuated by their school’s code of conduct.