30 YEARS ON, PRETORIA HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS STILL DISMANTLING RACISM

Written by: Tasha Siziba

Education expert Hendrick Makaneta is calling for regular dialogues on race and racism.

The call comes after the Gauteng Department of Education confirmed on Wednesday that twelve pupils from Pretoria High School for Girls have been suspended amid allegations of racism at the school.

The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, said the school alerted the Tshwane South District about a planned protest by pupils on 19 July, triggering alleged racial connotations, micro-aggressions, and complaints about black learners.

“The conversations allegedly included racial commentary about the ongoing dissatisfaction among black learners regarding issues they faced at the school, alluding to these issues being insignificant.”

“The School Governing Body immediately suspended all implicated learners, and their disciplinary hearing is scheduled for 30 and 31 July 2024. The district has launched an investigation to probe all mentioned allegations, especially against school employees accordingly,” said Mabona.

South Africa’s education system is plagued by inequalities and systemic challenges, including systemic exclusion, racist school cultures, and harmful attitudes.

Despite some progress since democracy, racialized inequality persists, and free quality education remains inaccessible for black and coloured youth.

Education activist Hendrick Makaneta, has called on Pretoria High school to encourage dialogues on race and racism in order to uproot racism in some of our schools across the country.

In order to address the realities of racism in a post-apartheid society, schools shouldn’t wait for a racist incident to occur.

He also underscored there is no doubt that racism has long-term effects that can be devastating and, at times, can lead to depression and anxiety among victims.

“Government must find a way to come up with systemic changes by offering diversity training for staff and coming up with policies and consequences for racism.”

Some of the victims of racism also have suicidal thoughts, said Makaneta.

“Disciplinary action alone is not enough to root out racism in schools. We need to hold schools accountable for not doing enough to encourage empathy and mutual respect amongst learners.”

“The Department should establish clear guidelines and mechanisms that will prioritize safety of all our learners. In the absence of parents at schools, teachers automatically become parents. Therefore teachers are duty bound to ensure that a conducive environment for learning and teaching is maintained.”