Racist teachers warned
Reluctance to tackle complaints of racial abuse infuriates Education
THE GAUTENG Education Department has warned other schools to amend their codes of conduct and act against incidents of racial abuse and victimisation or face the same scrutiny as the Pretoria High School for Girls.
MEC Panyaza Lesufi said last night the incidents of black pupils being told to stand up in groups to demonstrate settlement origins during apartheid while white lear ners were never asked to do the same was “insensitive, immature, demeaning and denigrating to the black learners, to say the least”.
Lesufi said the school was found to be unresponsive to black pupils’ complaints of racial abuse by educators and white learners. “A number of incidents were noted wherein either learners or parents notified the school about alleged racial abuse incidents on black learners, but no actions were taken or updates were not provided to the complainants. Furthermore, the school did not take firm action against the implicated educators.”
In August, tempers flared as black students at the school were up in arms over what they called racist incidents relating to the institution’s policies regarding hair.
A total of 32 people were interviewed including members of the school governing body (SGB) in the probe into alleged racism at the school to conclude the report.
Lesufi said the school’s code of conduct should be reviewed through a participatory and consultative process.
One of the major recommendations is that pupils should be permitted to speak in the language of their choice.
“While learners should, at all times, address the educators, headmistress and dep- uty headmistress in English, learners should be permitted to speak in any language of their choice outside ‘the medium of instruction’ situation,” said Lesufi.
The report recommends disciplinary action should be taken against the educators implicated. It also found that there was an incident involving white educators and white pupils that used hurtful terms such as “monkey”, the K word, and of black pupils being told that they belong at Mamelodi High School instead of Pretoria Girls.
“The common thread is a feeling that white educators don’t know how to deal with black pupils,” Lesufi said.
Disciplinary action should be taken against teachers where there was sufficient information of wrongdoing, said Lesufi.
Another recommendation was for the school to implement diversity training and cultural awareness programmes.
The MEC apologised to black pupils at the school. “The department extends its apology to particularly the affected black learners for going through such a traumatic and humiliating experience of racial abuse and victimisation.”
Lesufi said the school was found to be unresponsive to black pupils’ complaints of racial abuse by teachers and white pupils.
“Despite how they may feel, the SGB and the executive management (must) extend an apology to all the learners, especially the affected learners.”
Meanwhile the school’s SGB yesterday extended an unconditional apology to all affected pupils, saying it acknowledged the issues raised by the report and took them seriously.
The SGB said it would study the report and implement its recommendations.
– Additional reporting by ANA