Curro school head gets boot over racism
THE PRINCIPAL of the embattled Curro Primary School in Roodeplaat, Pretoria, has been fired amid new allegations of racism at the school, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said yesterday.
Lesufi said he had met the Curro Holdings chief executive and a board member on Wednesday.
“During this meeting, the management of Curro Holdings pleaded with me not to withdraw the operating licence of Curro Roodeplaat.
“They assured us that racial segregation does not form part of their policies and that corrective measures will be taken against any school affiliated to the company that practices segregation,” Lesufi said.
The department had initially taken a decision to withdraw the Roodeplaat school’s licence, effectively closing it down, following new allegations of racial segregation.
These came after a video emerged showing children being separated according to race during a school trip.
The school had previously come under fire after parents complained about racism.
Curro private schools are owned by JSE-listed Curro Holdings.
Government pension fund investment arm the Public Investment Corporation is one of the shareholders.
“The existing executive head of Curro Roodeplaat Primary will be replaced, while the management structure at the school will be expanded to include a new operational head. Curro Holdings committed that on future school trips learners will be transported together and not be separated according to language or race,” Lesufi added.
“On the basis of this commitment by Curro Holdings, the department has suspended its plans to withdraw the licence of the school, pending the implementation of the above undertakings by Curro Holdings.”
Lesufi said he had held meetings with PIC management and the SA Human Rights Commission.
Curro Holdings was been given until the end of October to implement the agreed resolutions. – ANA
GAUTENG education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has shut down the Roodepoort Primary School – for the second time in three months.
In April the school was closed indefinitely after the community accused principal Nomathemba Molefe of fraud, corruption and mismanagement of funds. The predominantly coloured community also said they did not want Molefe, a black woman, to lead the school. After relative calm, Lesufi re-opened the school.
But Lesufi has closed it again after fresh allegations of racism. He said parents threw a petrol bomb into Molefe’s office