Crawford teacher’s racist phrases were 'to teach pupils to not be affected by apartheid'

A Crawford College substitute teacher who went viral for writing racist phrases on a class board was attempting to teach grade 8 pupils not to be affected by the k-word because they did not live through apartheid.

A video surfaced of the white teacher writing the n-word and k-word on a board at the school in Pretoria.

This was apparently part of an English lesson the substitute teacher, 82, was giving on provocative words.

The pupils were shocked by what was being written on the board, as  seen in video footage shared on social media.

One pupil is heard saying: “Absolutely insane. This right here, no, no, no. Not in my country.”

The Gauteng education department visited the school on Wednesday and discovered the incident happened on Monday.

The video surfaced later that afternoon and the substitute teacher was dismissed by the school that evening, said spokesperson Steve Mabona.

She has been reported to the South African Council for Educators (Sace) to be investigated and deregistered so she is no longer allowed to teach children, he said.

“She was teaching provocative language and allegedly told pupils they must not be hurt when the ‘k-word’ is used on them because they were not affected by apartheid. Her actions are vehemently unacceptable and have undeniable racist undertones which will not be tolerated in any aspect of our education sector,” said Mabona.

The school confirmed the teacher was a short-term temporary substitute teacher who was brought in a week ago while the permanent teacher was on sick leave.

“The temporary teacher has been informed not to resume her duties, and the school reserves its rights regarding further action. At Crawford International Pretoria College, we firmly denounce any form of prejudice or discrimination in any capacity. We deeply regret the incident and any offence it may have caused,” said principal Cheryl Naidoo.

Pupils affected by the incident have been provided with counselling by the school.

Mabona said the school is also reviewing its recruitment process to avoid enlisting teachers who may be a potential threat to the delivery of quality education and learning.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said: “It is distasteful to see individuals with whom we have entrusted the education of our children who use that valuable time to push their own villainous agendas and poison the minds of our pupils.

“We condemn, in the strongest sense, the behaviour of this educator and any others who may want to behave in such an unpalatable manner.

“We applaud the school for taking a swift decision by removing this educator immediately and being keen to take further remedial steps of action alongside the department.”

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to TimesLIVE Premium. Just R80 per month.