Exorcise racism from our schools

THE TIME has come for the government to institute a commission of inquiry into racism at South African schools to finally rid our learning centres of the demon of racism.

The death of 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, in the US in police custody has sparked protests in that country and all over the world. In South Africa, the incident has served to remind us of the existence of racism in some of the country’s elite schools.

Some of the top schools implicated in claimed racism include 20 former Model C schools in Cape Town and Durban Girls’ College.

The school’s former pupils have come forward on social media to share their experiences of racism. A petition started on Change.org by an old girl called “Hold Durban Girls’ College accountable for racism” has been signed by more than 5 600 people.

This is not the first time that multi-racial schools have been called out for racism. In 2016, Pretoria High School for Girls was at the centre of a racism storm when black pupils protested against the school’s hair policy, describing it as racist and discriminatory.

While the schools that have been accused of racism have the right to defend themselves, the dominant narrative is that institutionalised racism is alive and well in the centres of learning in this country. It is high time that the government and relevant chapter nine institutions such as the SA Human Rights Commission demonstrate leadership in this matter.

If we believe that ordinary people experience racism on a day-to-day basis in this country, our public institutions such as schools would not be immune to the racism scourge. Let’s investigate this once and for all.

Several former pupils who attended some of the country’s top institutions are walking around with deep emotional scars as adults because of the discrimination they encountered there.

We need to ensure that no other child would ever have to be treated differently because of the colour of his or her skin, religion or sexual orientation.