Johannesburg - Allegations that a Pretoria private school separates its pupils according to their race has outraged the public.
Eyewitness News reported that about 30 parents of children at Curro Foundation School in Roodeplaat signed a petition demanding an explanation as to why children were assigned to classes based on race.
According to the petition, some classes are made up exclusively of either white or black children. The parents claimed that separating the children at such an early age created racial and cultural segregation.
Curro Holdings’ Andre Pollard, however, denied any racial segregation, stating that the different races were kept apart as a way of ensuring that children made friends with others who shared their culture and didn’t feel isolated.
“It’s not because we would like to segregate the whites; it’s just because of friends.
“Children are able to make friends with children of their culture,” Pollard said.
The school says it has worked out a formula to make sure children starting from Grade R don’t feel isolated and can make friends who share their culture.
One parent called in to the radio station to say the separation was based on language differences rather than race.
However, many people have reacted with rage to what Pollard said, with one saying the school was teaching the children racism.
Sarah Britten on Twitter said: “I’ve heard of keeping minority groups together to protect their culture before. Wasn’t it called apartheid? #Curro.”
Mandla Siya tweeted that the school was creating bantustan classes by not mixing cultures and that was the very same logic used by apartheid architects.
@hirigaa, however, said his children were going to the school, it was a good one and he had not encountered any racism there.
Writing on the EWN website in response to the story, someone who claimed to be a former pupil at the school said it was true that the school had a “separation system” based either on race or cultural background.
That then gave Afrikaans-speaking children preference on education as almost 85 percent of all teachers were Afrikaans, the person claiming to be a former pupil said.
Further allegations the alleged former pupil made were that there was noticeable tension between white and other pupils and that the teachers never stepped in when anything happens.
Someone calling themselves “Curro Parent” defended the school and the practice.
“My children are in that school and when your daughter is the only girl of her race in a class, it’s not nice. There are so few white English children to split them evenly between three English classes reduces the whites to five or below per class, grade depending.
“The fact that the school takes in more African children is not the problem – there are just not enough white children to split between all the classes. This is by no means a racist issue. It’s about our children having the ability to have at least two friends of their choice in their class. Curro offers all children who apply the opportunity to attend a good school and yes, the ratios match that of the constitution, we are not a majority white school and no, we are not a racist school nor are our staff.”
Responding to Curro Parent, Mashaya said “but thousands of us South Africans have gone to school where we are the only black kid in the grade. Not a problem when the ratio favours whites? This is rubbish, kids befriend kids. They become conscious of race when elders make it an issue. That principal is racist and so is his school”.
The Star could not get hold of Pollard who was in meetings.
The principal of the school, Johan Bissett, said he was aware of the uproar, but Pollard would make comments on behalf of the school. However he said the school treated everyone equally.
The Star