Cornwall Hill College: Panyaza Lesufi Visits School Amid Allegations of Racism
- Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi on Monday, 31 May, visited Cornwall Hill College amid racism allegations
- Reports say that parents and students drew attention to racism at the school and held a protest against it
- A student from the upmarket private facility spoke about her earliest memory of racism at the school
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Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria on Monday, 31 May after allegations of racism at the school emerged last week. Reports say the allegations resulted in a stalemate between school officials and parents and led to a protest.
On Monday morning, a student addressed the school. The teen spoke about her first memory of racism at the institution, which occurred when she was in Grade 4.
The student described the incident in which a teacher referred to her hair as 'unpresentable' and advised that she chemically straighten her natural hair.
Source: Getty Images
According to eNCA, the student went on to say that after the incident with the teacher, she believed that there was something wrong with her natural hair. She explained that she felt uncomfortable about wearing her hair naturally.
A report by TimesLIVE stated that last week, around 15 parents from the school held a silent protest at the Pretoria Country Club. The protest was held in order to raise awareness on the alleged 'lack of transformation' at the institution.
The report continued by saying that this was not the first time allegations of racism had been levelled against the private institution.
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In similar news, Briefly News kept readers updated on Brackenfell High School since the news broke about the matric ball. The Western Cape Provincial Education Department was at the time engaging with the school after allegations were made that the school had no black teachers.
A privately organised matric ball at the school also made headlines as it was only attended by white pupils. The EFF protested outside against the claims of racism at the high school last year.
In December, the EFF signalled their pleasure at their legal victory at Brackenfell after the Western Cape High Court ruled in the party's favour. The party vowed to return to the school as a matter of principle to ensure that racism is accounted for.
Former and present learners at Brackenfell High School also opened up about the racism they experience through an Instagram page. The page featured hundreds of different accounts of racism from anonymous learners. In many posts, the learners explained how they almost always complained to those in power and yet were never actually heard.
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Source: Briefly News
