Johannesburg - St John’s College may have been forced to fire a teacher for racism but now there are calls for the principal’s head over his handling of the crisis.
On Friday, a group of former and current pupils of the elite private school, who call themselves #OpenStJohns, said headmaster Paul Edey and chairperson of the council John Patricious had failed in their duty to lead and protect pupils.
“This is a matter that we view in a very serious light. They must be held accountable for bringing disrepute to the college. They can no longer be trusted to take the college forward,” their statement read.
The Gauteng Department of Education also criticised Edey’s handling of the racial incident which involved the school’s geography teacher, Keith Arlow. Steve Mabona, spokesperson for Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi, said the department was “not satisfied” by the principal’s account of the incident and how it had been dealt with. “You can’t just give a one-page account of what happened and it is the same statement you handed to the media,” he said.
On Friday morning, an angry Lesufi arrived at the upmarket school in Houghton and gave the principal and the council an ultimatum. They had until 1pm to get rid of Arlow. According to the department, Lesufi had expressed his disappointment and unhappiness after the school’s decision to retain the teacher, even after he was found guilty following a disciplinary process.
Arlow had allegedly made separate racial comments to black, Indian and Greek pupils. In one episode he is reported to have told a black pupil after a test: “You disappointed the blacks by getting a good mark.”
Arlow, according to St John’s, handed in his resignation on Friday before the deadline.
“At a meeting between the school’s leadership and the teacher, it was made clear the situation was untenable and the relationship had broken down irretrievably.
“It was mutually agreed that the college and the teacher part ways and the teacher tendered his resignation, which the college accepted,” the school said in a statement.
But the department said other issues at the college needed to be looked at. Black educators had approached Lesufi yesterday with problems they had with the school. Problems relating to racism were widespread in private schools, said Mabona, and that was why the department was planning to hold a summit to address issues facing independent and private schools, in particular.
As news of Arlow’s removal was welcomed, former St John’s pupils told of their experiences of racism at the school.
One was Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, the deputy headboy of St John’s in 2006, whose father is EFF national chairperson advocate Dali Mpofu, a former SABC chief executive.
“A specific story that I remember was when I sat on a disciplinary council when I was the deputy headboy,” said Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh. “One of the pupils at the time had thrown bananas at the staff at the dining hall because they came too late for lunch, and referred to them as baboons and monkeys. That’s the kind of stuff that happened at St John’s.”
Another, who didn’t want to be named, recalled: “Academic excellence was never demanded of the black child. Being in the top sets for most subjects, I noticed we were never pushed as hard as whites. Under-performing was our ‘norm’. You were considered an anomaly and made to feel as if a favour was being done for you by being placed in the ‘smart white class’.”
In response, the school said: ”St John’s has noted the concerns expressed by former and current students, parents and staff around racism and will strengthen its transformation efforts. We understand we need to continue examining our own perceptions, beliefs and motivations, especially in relation to issues such as racism.”
It was a busy week for Lesufi. A group of girls from Windsor House Academy in Kempton Park were sent home on Monday morning because of their hairstyles. And in Klipspruit, his department had to deal with residents who were angry because a newly appointed principal was black.
Lesufi said on Friday that non-racialism was “non-negotiable”.