Cape Town — The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) says it has noted the alleged racism incident that occurred at Pretoria High School for Girls that resulted in the suspension of 12 learners.
The Department said it had alerted the Tshwane school district on Thursday 18 July over a planned protest by a group of learners that was scheduled for Friday 19 July, a statement read.
The protest was triggered by racial connotations and micro-aggressions over black learners who were ventilated on a WhatsApp group filled with white learners.
“The conversations allegedly included racial commentary about the ongoing dissatisfaction among black pupils regarding issues they faced at the school, alluding to these issues being insignificant. Similar commentary about a black hair protest by pupils that reportedly took place at the school in 2016 was also made in the group chat,” Department Spokesperson, Steve Mabona, said.
12 PRETORIA GIRLS HIGH LEARNERS SUSPENDED FOR SUSPECTED RACISM
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is aware that about 12 learners from Pretoria High School for Girls were suspended in response to allegations of racism at the school. pic.twitter.com/UrjtYXkEdE
— Gauteng Department of Education (@EducationGP1) July 24, 2024
An urgent meeting was called on the same day as the planned protest, and learners were disappointed that they could not express their grievances.
These included alleged racism in WhatsApp groups created and consisting solely of white learners, repeated instances of racism with little to no action taken by the principal, bullying incidents not addressed by Senior Management Teams, alleged preferential treatment of white learners by the principal and staff, and selective implementation of the school’s code of conduct.
The School Governing Body (SGB) suspended all students with immediate effect and the disciplinary hearing is set to take place on 30 and 31 July. The district has launched an investigation to probe all the above-mentioned allegations and to implicate all school employees accordingly.
“A school environment where racism and discrimination are prevalent, whether covert or subtle, compromises the right to education in a safe and equitable environment for all learners,” stated GDE MEC Matome Chiloane.
“Indeed, action must be taken against any conduct that threatens order and discipline at our institutions, especially conduct that undermines the dignity of learners. We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” he added.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
