Onnie’s K-word slur sparks school protest
OUTRAGE: Fish Hoek High pupils protesting. Picture: Nikesh Cohen
A teacher at Fish Hoek High School has been suspended for using the K-word in class, sparking a protest by pupils.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has now issued directives to address racism at schools, reports the Weekend Argus.
The alleged incident, for which the teacher had apologised for, occurred in class on 23 May.
“The apology was weak and insincere. She told the class, which is predominantly people of colour, that she was apologising but did not know what she was apologising for,” said the pupils.
The teacher was suspended and was expected to appear before a disciplinary process initiated by the School Governing Body (SGB), the WCED said.
A Grade 12 pupil said the use of the word during an Afrikaans lesson was unwarranted and not in a “historical context” as initially claimed by the school and was not even used in the textbook, Fiela se Kind.
Some pupils also alleged that the teacher used derogatory terms when referring to people of colour, Muslims and the LGBTQ+ community.
“In the past she used Hottentot and the N-word at random. It was never in the context of a book or a poem she was teaching,“ said a pupil.
They said that the school “barely catered” for Muslim pupils, alleging that exams or tests or parent/teacher meetings were scheduled on Eid.
“One teacher told a student that they could not rewrite a test they missed on Eid, insulted the Islam religion while another associated stereotypes with Muslims, saying they thought all Muslims were terrorists,” the pupils claim.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department asked the school to review its code of conduct to ensure that “all potentially discriminatory aspects were removed”.
Officials also engaged with pupils and staff about the allegations.
The school said it took racism “very seriously” and was following “due process” about the allegations.
“We confirm that the entire matter is subject to an independent investigation, and we are not at liberty to divulge any further information,” a statement said.