AROUND 150 pupils protested outside Sastri College School in Durban this morning resulting in the school reviewing its Code of Conduct with specific referent to hair for African female learners.
According to a pupil, who spoke to Berea Mail on conditions of anonymity, the protests are related to “equality” and how the students feel cheated by a discriminatory school system.
“The code of conduct favours other races and us Africans are seen as inferior,” said the protesting pupil.
“The school code of conduct is is biased. We signed a code of conduct in 2014 and there is apparently a new one which we have never seen and it’s not even on paper,” she said.
The pupil added that the issue was bigger than just hair. “Whenever we speak our mother tongue to each other we get called names like saying we’re barbaric and uncultured. This is not just about hair, the way we get treated in the school is unfair – this racism has to stop,” she said.
“Our parents also get treated differently to other races that come to visit the school. They have to wait for a long time to receive any attention, while we see other race parents come in and go straight to the office to address their issues. We are seen as inferior,” the pupil said.
A grade nine pupil told Berea Mail she was asked to relax her hair by one of the teachers. “I was asked to relax my afro because it wasn’t neat! I don’t want to relax my afro, it is the only thing that makes me me feel black and African,” the pupil said.
Another protesting pupil said she was asked to open a whole braid of her natural hair which was bonded with extensions just to show that it was her real hair. “I need extensions to keep the hair down and don’t want to use relaxers with chemicals that destroy our hair,” the young girl said.
Speaking during the protest the girls and a few boys said they had been writing letters since last year to address the issue of African hair in the school Code of Conduct because they were verbally told last year that their hair styles were not allowed. “We want equality in implementation of the Code of Conduct in terms of race,” said one of the boys.
After more than an hour sit in with school management and RCL pupil representatives, the school principal, Rajan Maharaj said, “We sat and engaged with learners and realise, while our Code of Conduct was not intended to be a racist issue and our intention was not to isolate any learners. Our Code of Conduct has to be reviewed.
“This Code of Conduct was in place in 2014 but due to large scale abuse of the policy (pupils wearing coloured and long extensions) we revoked the policy. We have since brought back and accepted the policy which is Hair Code for African learners (girls) with clauses and are happy to have engaged learners in the matter. As long as hair is neat and in keeping with a school learner image,” he added.
Berea police were on standby at the school to ensure the safety of pupils.
The school’s Hair Code for African learners (girls)
Extensions are allowed with a maximum length being shoulder length.
With straight hair, it must have a pony at the base of the neck.
With braids, braids must be from front to back, 5mm in thickness and have no beads at the end of braids.
No rasta extensions are allowed.
No hair dyes.
Own hair – not buffed up, only a black narrow alice band is allowed and only a pony tail at the base of the neck.
Only black hair bands to be used for pony tails and clips.
Hair must not fall on face (only fringe).
