Clarendon teacher suspended after alleged racist comment ‘

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A Clarendon High School governing body staff member who allegedly made an “inappropriate racist joke” has been suspended.

The provincial education department confirmed that an SGB employee” had been suspended and the governing body had charged the teacher.

A communique seen by the Dispatch, purportedly sent by the principal to parents, said the teacher had made an inappropriate and racist joke.

It said the teacher had been suspended pending an investigation and disciplinary hearing.

According to the letter, the - inappropriate racist joke had been made in two classes on Friday.

The education department’s spokesperson, Malibongwe Mtima, said: “An independent chairperson has been appointed to conduct a formal disciplinary hearing on Friday.”

Mtima said the issue of racism in schools had to be dealt with and the department would discuss the matter with school representatives.

The department will engage the school comprehensively on the matter, if necessary conduct change management seminars and training for the school management team, and ensure that they cascade that down to learners,” said Mtima.

The Dispatch has since Tuesday tried to establish exactly what happened but had no response to its queries.

A group of pupils, who spoke to the Dispatch on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the teacher had asked pupils in class if he could make a racist joke. However, their accounts differed on what happened after that.

In June, the school faced criticism on social media over a statement it released condemning racism, with some parents and old girls saying the statement presented an inaccurate narrative of the school.

The statement, which was published on social media, stated that the school condemned racism and requested that parents and guardians ensured that their daughters upheld the school’s code of conduct and were “responsible social media users”.

In response to that, the school governing body said a committee would be formed to update policies and the school would work with the community, parents, students and old girls to “build an institution that we can all be proud of”.

More than 200 Clarendon Girls High pupils, past and present, came together to form a student collective called “Un-Silenced ”.

The collective was formed in response to pupils’ social media accounts of racial discrimination at the school.

A few weeks later, the Eastern Cape education department’s transformation structure launched an investigation into allegations of entrenched racism at the school, the Dispatch reported previously.

The department will engage the school comprehensively on the matter, if necessary conduct change management seminars and training