CURRO HOLDINGS WELCOMES GAUTENG EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FINDINGS

Cape Town (April 5, 2024) - Curro Holdings welcomes the findings of the preliminary investigation by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) into the recent social media post that caused public concern.

We note that the GDE found that:

-  The learners in the social media post were from a Curro school in the Western Cape on an excursion to an activity centre where they took on various career roles.

-  The children rotated through 3-4 different career roles during the day, with photos taken of them in the different roles.

-  The photos posted on social media were initially shared at that school for a week without any issues. The problem arose from posting photos that excluded some learners in other career roles.

-  The mother of the learner shown as a cashier is aware of the matter, supports the school, and gave permission for the school to engage on it.

We are heartened that the GDE accepts that Curro has a zero-tolerance policy for any discrimination and that we conduct annual surveys to assess inclusivity and investigate any claims that this is not the case.

We confirm the department’s conclusion that Curro is in fact focused on racial cohesion, with real diversity and anti-racism programs.

Nevertheless, Curro announced on Thursday, April 4, the details of further steps which it is taking following the incident.

This includes a full review of social media practices, policies and guidelines with the help of external experts and more intensive onboarding for staff on our values and policies. We are also running a social media sensitivity awareness campaign for school leadership.

We appreciate the constructive engagement from the GDE and others who share our deep concern about creating educational environments free from discrimination and racism.

We trust that the steps we are taking will improve our policies and processes in the best interests of our learners and the many communities we serve.

Curro remains fully committed to nurturing school communities that are welcoming and inclusive for all our learners. We will continue working hard to uphold this mission.

Statement issued by Melanie Fortuin-Durr, Portfolio Manager: Special Projects, Curro Holdings, 5 April 2024