Curro’s value system needs to be investigated
Pictures of a young girl working as a cashier during a Curro Holdings career day were widely circulated on social media.
The Gauteng Department of Education says there is an urgent need to investigate the constitutionality of Curro Holding’s value system.
The sentiment comes as the popular group of independent schools faced backlash over one of its social media posts which was labelled as racist.
GAUTENG EDUCATION WEIGHS IN ON LATEST CURRO INCIDENT
In the latest incident, the private education institution uploaded images of what seemed to be a primary school’s career day.
The social media post, which has since been deleted, drew criticism. A young black girl posed behind the till as a cashier while white girls posed as veterinarians.
Following backlash from social media users, the private education group said it will probe the incident.
“Curro Holdings acknowledges that a post we published on social media portraying children in various workplace contexts was offensive due to the inappropriate stereotypes it depicted. The post was in error and has been deleted.
“We apologise for the offence caused and are urgently following our internal processes to understand fully the circumstances of the post to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future. We will communicate further once the details of this unfortunate incident are established,” the group said.
Bathong Curro?? pic.twitter.com/LcBF4v3dCt
— Witness Mandisa (@WitnessMandisa1) March 31, 2024
HERE ARE SOME OF THE RECENT INCIDENTS
This was not the first time the institution has been in the spotlight for alleged racism.
- In 2023, Curro Academy Protea Glen Primary School Executive Head, Shanette Tiquin allegedly called another teacher a monkey.
After a huge public outcry, including from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF),Tiquin was reportedly fired.
The EFF called on the South African Human Rights Council (SAHRC) to pay specific attention to cases of racism levelled against Curro Holdings as these incidents are not isolated.
- In 2018 Curro Waterfall was accused of racist labour practices and in 2019 cleaners at Curro Oakdene were allegedly called three little monkeys by a teacher whilst having lunch in a staff room.
- In 2015 parents at the Curro schools in Northern Cape took to the streets, accusing the institution of segregation. In the same year, Curro Roodeplaat near Pretoria was also accused of segregating its learners.
PSYCHOLOGIST SAYS INCIDENTS CAN’T BE IGNORED
Psychologist and childhood development expert Dr Mary Chabuda has also weighed in on the Curro incident.
Speaking to The Citizen, Chabuda said the repeated incidents of racism at Curro schools highlight a disturbing pattern that cannot be ignored.
Chabuda told the publication that despite previous allegations and promises of commitment to diversity and nonracialism, the institution continues to grapple with issues of racial bias and discrimination.
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