Fish Hoek High ‘social justice’ saga: we told you so – IRR  

7 November 2022

On 4 July 2022 the Free Speech Union of South Africa (FSU SA) addressed a letter to the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, Mr David Maynier, copied to the Shadow Minister of Education for the DA, Mr Baxolile Nodada.

The FSU SA warned about the potentially detrimental effectsto social cohesion and free speech of social justice initiatives at schools. The program used to achieve this purpose is referred to as Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

We expressed concern that strictures on free speech were increasingly being experienced in schools where Critical Race Theory and Critical Gender Theory were being inserted into curricula. 

CRT’s premise is that white–on-black racism is the normal state of affairs. As such, anything to do with ‘whiteness’ should be identified and ‘dismantled’. Therefore, schools seeking social justice must teach students to focus on the immutable characteristic of a person’s skin colour only.

The FSU SA supports schools being proactive in tackling discrimination. Creating school environments free of discrimination and where all members of a school feel a sense of belonging should be a priority.

We stated that ‘The FSU has come to understand that this hyper-racialism is routinely taught to schoolchildren of all ages by external consultants and teachers, and is reflected in recommended readings’.  As a consequence, race relations are bound to suffer and often found do.

We appealed to the ‘Western Cape Education Department specifically and the Democratic Alliance generally to reconsider any use of DEI to sensitise students. There are more appropriate ways to deal with incidents of racism et al when they occur. Children are remarkably able in managing their socialisation to good effect without the intrusion of well-meaning adults’.

On 12 July we addressed another letter to the WCED noting, with reference to our original letter, that Fish Hoek High School and Rondebosch Boys’ High School were being subjected to the same DEI processes due to allegations of racism.

Ms Kelly Mauchline, Mr Maynier’s spokesperson, said she would bring our letter to his attention. We heard nothing further.

Then four months later, on 3 November 2022, the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) issued a press release alleging that pupils at Fish Hoek High were so traumatised by a ‘diversity course’ on racism and faith, that they had to receive counselling. The press release is summarised below. The nature of the alleged circumstances are not unusual.

About 800 pupils had to attend the session where they were told that ‘only white people can be racist’.

Three officials and six psychologists from the WCED presented this ‘course’. Teachers were not allowed into the session.

The presenter was Asanda Ngoasheng, a well-known DEI consultant, but she is controversial. Her biography makes no mention of her being a psychologist. The approach used by many DEI consultants is to berate children on the grounds of their “whiteness”, this being assumed to amount to eternal culpability for the sins of previous generations and for which there is no forgiveness.

A pupil who managed to leave the session told a teacher what was happening. The teacher returned with her, but was ordered to leave the hall.

The WCED ordered this intervention because earlier this year, in teaching the setwork, Fiela se Kind, a teacher used a word – we have not managed to clarify for certainty what it was – that resulted in some pupils complaining. As a consequence, the WCED charged her with misconduct. She was found not guilty.

Regarding the subsequent intervention, the principal was unhappy about holding the session so close to exam time, but was given no choice.

It appears that the WCED has adopted a very illiberal approach to dealing with allegations of racism at schools, despite the FSU SA communicating its misgivings.

The FSU SA believes that the processes that the WCED is applying are completely antithetical to the DA’s classically liberal policies.

There are other ways of tackling these issues without ruining the confidence of pupils and dividing them on the grounds of race.

The FSU SA welcomes Mr Maynier’s commitment to a “review” of the WCED’s approach – which is precisely what was recommended in its letters to the department in recent months. Such a review is now a matter of urgency.

Text of first letter:

FSU SOUTH AFRICA

Western Cape Minister of Education

Mr David Maynier

Email:

DATE 4 July 2022

Dear Sir

Social Justice Initiatives in Government Schools

I am writing on behalf of the Free Speech Union, South Africa (FSU SA), regarding social justice initiatives in schools and the detrimental effects they are having on social cohesion and free speech. The FSU SA is a non-profit organisation that has been launched under the aegis of the Institute of Race Relations to promote freedom of speech and opinion, and stands up for anyone who is, or risks being, penalised for exercising these rights.

The FSU SA is concerned about the increasing focus by South African schools on matters of social justice. Specifically, we are concerned that strictures on free speech are increasingly being experienced in the context of schools where critical race theory and critical gender theory are being

inserted into curricula, as well as professional development training under the guise of benign-sounding ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ (DEI) initiatives. Further, we are disturbed by the breakdown of social cohesion as a result of these initiatives.

The FSU is supportive of schools being proactive in tackling issues of discrimination. Creating environments free of discrimination and where all members of a school feel a sense of belonging should be a priority for schools.

However, after having reviewed the social justice programs adopted by a significant number of private schools, as well as having interviewed teachers and school leaders, we have discerned that schools are prioritising a particular brand of social justice while sacrificing the constitutional values of free expression and non-racialism. Rather than foster a climate of tolerance, and appreciation of different viewpoints and individual identities, DEI results in the shutting down of heterodox opinions and is detrimental to racial cohesion.

We offer the following justification for our conclusions:

• The FSU is aware of a number of schools where saying the word ‘monkey’ in any context is banned; teachers have been told not to refer to their female students as ‘girls’ or ‘ladies’ for fear of offending a student who does not identify as such; teachers and students have faced disciplinary action for pronouncing the N-word as it appears in a work of fiction; and students have been bullied for failing to pronounce their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, or for failing to pronounce names properly.

• Some schools have even gone so far as to include speech bans in their official codes of conduct. One particularly egregious example is the prohibition on endorsing the idea of racial ‘colourblindness’. Colourblindness is the idea popularised by Martin Luther King Jnr that people should be judged on the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin.

• The banning of colourblindness leads me to the second of our concerns: The implementation of DEI offers a view on race that is opposed to the constitutional value of non-racialism and will have a detrimental effect on race relations.

During the course of our research, in particular the engagement with social justice literature at schools, it became clear that DEI is underpinned by an area of academic study known as critical race theory (CRT). In fact, a number of schools explicitly state that their ideas about social justice are informed by CRT.

One aspect of CRT we find troubling is the idea that white on black racism is the normal state of affairs. As such, anything to do with ‘whiteness’ should be identified and ‘dismantled’. CRT advocates allege that colourblindness and non-racialism are values designed by whites in order to oppress non-whites. Therefore, schools seeking social justice must teach students to focus on a person’s skin colour rather than on their character. The FSU has come to understand that this hyper-racialism is routinely taught to schoolchildren of all ages by external consultants and teachers, and is reflected in recommended readings.

This hyper-racialism plays out in a number of ways, which we believe, are negatively impacting on race relations. They include but are not limited to:

-  Black children being told that they are oppressed by white people and that the only way for them to succeed in life is to weaponise their victimhood to ‘dismantle whiteness’;

- White children being told that they are necessarily racist because they have white skin;

- White children being made to feel guilty for being white and in some cases having to apologise for their ‘white privilege’;

- Children being taught that the colour of a person’s skin is the most important aspect of their identity and should be accounted for in every social interaction;

- Teaching that any disparities in outcome between race groups is evidence of racism; and

- The creation of ‘affinity groups’, membership of which is conditional upon skin colour.

As a consequence of the above, race relations are bound to suffer. During the course of our investigations, we have often found this to be the case.

The FSU is not calling for the banning of teaching of concepts derived from CRT, nor are we calling for a ban on schools promoting social justice. However, we believe that care should be taken when dealing with these matters. Alternative views on social justice should be permitted so that ideas based on CRT do not come to dominate the discourse to the detriment of constitutionally protected free speech and racial cohesion.

One has to remember that CRT or derivations thereof are political philosophies aimed at, bizarrely, moving society towards a socialist Utopia. CRT should not be used as a process by which children are indoctrinated into an alienating and unhelpful set of life skills.

Of crucial importance is the involvement of parents in the implementation or otherwise of CRT. As it promotes a single political theory, parents may disapprove of the school taking on a function that lies primarily within their domain.

The Enlightenment philosopher, John Stuart Mill, once said: ‘He who only knows his side of the case knows little of that.’

To that end and in light of all of the above, we appeal to the Western Cape Education Department specifically and the Democratic Alliance generally to reconsider any use of DEI to sensitise students. There are more appropriate ways to deal with incidents of racism et al when they occur. Children are remarkably able in managing their socialisation to good effect without the intrusion of well-meaning adults.

We are most willing to discuss our concerns, suggest alternative approaches to dealing with issues of race and gender. We can also offer a presentation on the issues.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

Sara Gon

Director

CC: Mr Baxolile Nodada

Shadow MEC for Education

Text of second letter:

Ms Kerry Mauchline Spokesperson to Minister David Maynier

Western Cape Ministry of Education

Email: [email protected]

12 July 2022

Dear Ms Mauchline

Allegations of racism at schools

We addressed a letter to the MEC last week in which we expressed concerns about the implementation of critical race theory in schools under the rubric of Diversity Equity and Inclusion. I enclose a copy for your information.

It appears that schools like Fish Hoek and Rondebosch are being subjected to the same processes, through allegations of racism, which have become endemic in private schools.

I’d really like to chat to you about the issues you are facing, how they’re coming to the department’s attention and who is assisting them to resolve the alleged racism.

I don’t intend to disclose any sources, but am trying to see if there is a pattern to be discerned which ultimately tuns the risk of diminishing of freedoms, particularly of speech.

Yours faithfully

Sara Gon

Director: Free Speech Union of South Africa (A unit of the Institute of Race Relations)

ENDS

Issued by Sara Gon, Director, Free Speech Union, IRR, 7 November 2022