Teacher suspended amid race row
A teacher from Laerskool Schweizer-Reneke in the North West was suspended yesterday following outrage over a picture she allegedly took of black Grade R pupils in her class being seated separately from their white classmates on their first day of school. The announcement was made by the North West Department of Education during a meeting at the school following demonstrations by community and political groups.
The department said the teacher had been suspended with immediate effect. TimesLIVE says an investigation into the school's principal was also being carried out. North West Education MEC Sello Lehari visited the school, following the uproar. News24 says earlier, parents were contacted to remove their children from the school after protests erupted outside the premises.
The offending picture showing about four black pupils seated separately at a desk from a larger group of white pupils at another desk, went viral on social media. The mother of a Grade R pupil was fuming, TimesLive reported. The class teacher shared the photograph on the school's WhatsApp group. While other parents were thankful for the picture, the mother was irate when she discovered that her child and three other black pupils had seemingly been isolated.
The school says the picture is a 'reflection of a single moment in a classroom', and not an indication of school policy, reports The Citizen. They explained that the photo reflected an isolated moment and the children did in fact interact and were integrated. Other photos have since emerged showing an integrated classroom on the same day.
'The school's ethos is built on inclusivity as a reflection of the broader South African society,' said the school governing body's chairperson, Jozeph du Plessis.
'The governing body does not condone any distinction based on race. Learners from different backgrounds, including race, religion and language, are not merely accommodated but are fully integrated in all aspects of the school environment,' Du Plessis said. He said the school staff would be provided with training in 'aspects where it appears that integration is not taking place as it should'.
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