WATCH: Cornwall Hill College parents want principal to resign over lack of transformation

Parents at Cornwall Hill College in Centurion are demanding the resignation of the principal over the lack of commitment to much-needed transformation. Picture: Goitsemang Tlhabye

Parents at Cornwall Hill College in Centurion are demanding the resignation of the principal over the lack of commitment to much-needed transformation. Picture: Goitsemang Tlhabye

Published May 26, 2021

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Pretoria - Parents at Cornwall Hill College in Centurion are demanding the resignation of the schools executive principal and chairman of the board over the lack of commitment to the much-needed transformation agenda at the school.

Although it's been almost a year since previous and current learners of Cornwall Hill College in Irene, Centurion penned a 53-page petition and shared their own testimonials regarding the systematic racism experienced at the school.

Parents who gathered at the school's golf fund raiser earlier today said any efforts to address and begin working on diversity and transformation at the school had still not been made at all by the school's leadership.

The learners some dating back to 2004 up to 2020 detailed how they had to endure being called derogatory names, teased about their hair, and being separated according to race at the tuckshop lines at the school.

Parent Thembile Hlati, said even though the school had committed to begin working towards transformation since the backlash it received in 2019 nothing much had changed.

Hlati said as it stood the school still remained predominately "lily-white", with there being only five black teachers out of 66.

He said things were no better with the make-up of the board of the school, which he said had only white males and a few white women.

"We've noticed that the intake for black learners is also significantly low so it appears as though there is a system in place by the school stakeholders to hinder and derail efforts to transform and ensure our children are in an inclusive and diverse environment."

Zibusiso Kganyago, a parent and member of the Diversity and Transformation Committee set up at the school said even though they had been convened since May 31 to look into dealing with issues of transformation the school had shown little to no effort to work alongside them.

Kganyago said even though the anniversary of when the committee was established was fast approaching they were yet to hold even a single meeting in that regard.

Parents at Cornwall Hill College in Centurion are demanding the resignation of the principal over the lack of commitment to much-needed transformation. Picture: Goitsemang Tlhabye

"We're disappointed that even though this school is not old it consistently fails to acquire the services of black professionals, so it gives off the impression that excellence can not be expected from black people."

"We're joining our children's fight because it can not be that a school in Gauteng and in Tshwane is not representative of the community it resides in and continuously perpetuates structural racism."

Pretoria News

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