Pupils at Fish Hoek High School held a protest after a teacher allegedly used the derogatory K-word in class. Picture: supplied
The cancellation of diversity training at Fishhoek High School has sparked calls on the national government to get involved and to take decisive and immediate action.
Education MEC David Maynier announced this week that a diversity intervention by an external service provider at Fishhoek High School (FHS) following a racial incident in May was terminated on November 1, a day after the training took place.
Maynier said the diversity intervention allegedly “caused hurt and division“ and promised that a full investigation was underway.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta said the government should move swiftly to deal with racism issues.
“These issues should be handled as criminal matters and an appropriate sanction applied.”
Makaneta said while diversity training was needed to address racism at schools, he questioned whether the implemented was just “lip-service”.
“In the same breath the diversity training at FHS should have been left to continue. As a nation we need a spirit of tolerance.”
The ANC in the Western Cape said it was utterly “dismayed and livid” at the decision to abruptly halt the diversity workshop.
“We are disappointed at Maynier’s cowering to white right-wing demands at the expense of driving non-racialism and protecting black learners who are discriminated against in many former Model C schools,” said the ANC’s spokesperson on education, Khalid Sayed.
The ANC said it planned to table a motion in the Western Cape Legislature on the handling of the Fish Hoek racial incident on November 24.
Sayed said the party supported the diversity initiative and called for it to be extended to other schools that experienced issues of racism.
“We reiterate our call to the MEC to provide details on why the intervention was suspended,” said Sayed.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also called for the diversity training to continue as there was a great need at schools.
EFF MPL Nosipho Makamba-Botya said: “White people must learn to accept different views from other racial groups. They cannot expect a race discourse to be dictated by them.”
Makamba-Botya also said diversity training was important in teaching all racial groups how to embrace differences and respect one another.
“But former Model C schools use it as a tick-box exercise,” she charged.
Milnerton High School, which was rocked by an alleged racist incident in February, appointed an external service provider to help it address the issue.
The educator implicated in the incident was found guilty after a disciplinary hearing by the provincial department.
But the Western Cape Education Department refused to disclose the sanction that deputy principal Iqbal Cassim, who faced charges of misconduct, was given.
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Founder Darryl Weir said his team worked with the school management on “critical thinking and understanding of what the school wanted”.
Weir said he expected the training to be ongoing “depending on the requirement” of the school and the department and on the outcomes of the first workshop.
“A lot came out of the workshop and we still need to unpack it in smaller groups with management,” he added.
The school was not available to shed more light on what the plans were and whether the training would ultimately be extended to other school stakeholders including parents and learners.