York High in social media storm

Myron Rabinowitz

Apanel discussion at York High School has turned into a social media nightmare for the school and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). On Friday 10 August, a Facebook post by a former learner who matriculated in 2013, Lona Mbotyi, went viral, attracting comments and racial insults from all sides.

The post read: "So the learners of York High School had an assembly on race, racism and white privilege. The current head girl gave an outstanding explanation of white privilege. Teachers stood up and left and told fellow white learners that they don't have to listen to the nonsense and told white learners to call their parents and report the incident. Parents started calling in and complaining and apparently some teacher laid a complaint about this." An informed source at the school said that it was a school assembly that took the form of a video and a panel discussion, in which four learners participated with the objective of challenging stereotypes and preparing the learners for life after school. The rumpus was sparked when the head girl tried to clarify a question asked by a learner from the audience. It seems as if her explanation broke the camel's back and led to one teacher walking out of the hall, followed by a few Grade 12s. York High headmaster, Francois Moll, was not at the school at the time and many believe he would have steered the discussion away from comments that could be construed as insensitive. "The school is very brave to debate these issues. Now it is being lambasted for their efforts. It is unfair, as York High is one of the most integrated schools in George," said the insider.

Mbotyi told the George Herald that her sisters and their friends informed her of the incident and that she did not witness it herself. "After careful consideration I decided to post something on my Facebook account. I do not apologise for my views, but I am most upset about the misinterpretation on both sides of the spectrum."

George Herald spoke to Moll and the circuit manager of the Eden and Central Karoo Education district office, Grace Sethosa, who said they cannot comment as the WCED is investigating the incident.

Department responds

Bronagh Hammond, director of Communication at the WCED, replied as follows: "A district official visited the school last week after being informed about the unhappiness stemming from a discussion on diversity by a panel of learners during an assembly. Unfortunately, the principal was absent from school on the day of the panel discussion. After the discussion panel, learners were encouraged to participate in a question and answer session. One learner raised the issue of discipline and whether some learners were treated differently based on their race. The question led to further debate on the issue of race with some learners threatening to participate in a protest the following week.

"The WCED were informed about the debate and went to the school to investigate. The principal, who has subsequently returned to the school, is now dealing with the issue and apologised to learners for any hurt or misunderstanding the debate may have caused.

"The district will liaise with the principal and support the school to address any issues that learners want to raise. The

WCED encourages discussions on diversity. It is important that we understand and appreciate one another’s backgrounds, sets of experiences, cultural contexts, and world views. The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 is sensitive to issues of diversity such as poverty, inequality, race, gender, language, age, disability and other factors. Discussions on diversity in schools should recognise the different views of learners, and would require a facilitator / educator who can accommodate divergent views. Given our country’s history, the debate on diversity tends to focus on race which often elicits emotionally valid responses and arguments. This should be handled in a manner that is sensitive to the views of all learners."

Interestingly, Cameron Dugmore, an ANC MPL in the Western Cape Legislature, is a former head boy of York High and his father was the first headmaster of the school.