An article in last weekend’s Sunday Times entitled “White flight ‘over fear and mother tongue’” tells us that white people are pulling their kids out of schools where there are too many black people.
In former Model C schools there are now only a handful of white pupils, some have none. The article says that most white pupils have moved to private schools or Afrikaans-medium schools. This is not new – it has been happening for over two decades now; schools can be a safe place for birds of a feather to flock together.
However, the only white mother left at Saxonwold Primary in Johannesburg says that she doesn’t think the exodus of white families is all about the massive enrolment of black families over the past years. She says that the white families had just “lost faith in government education”.
But at our daughter’s school – a private school – we have noticed the same trend. Unlike most white couples, we have a black daughter and one of the reasons we chose her school was precisely because it is so multi-racial. Since we started there in 2016, most of the white families have left and now there is just the one in Lolly’s class. It is generally accepted that this migration is at very least partially due to the darkening hue of the place, but ironically the reasons given are something along the lines of: “We have lost faith in the school”. So, it seems that the same reason for white flight is being given at government
and private schools.
Now just for clarity, our daughter’s school is world-class. Sure, you can move your kid from one privileged school to another in search of ever improving facilities, but is this all school is about; a case of my astro is bigger than yours?
Educating the 21
st Century child is so much more than this. Learning and socialising in a multi-cultural environment that prepares them for the world they will one day live in, is as vital to their future success as lessons, sport and extra murals. We stunt our children’s growth and development if we don’t expose them to as many cultures, colours, religions and worldviews as possible.
And not just at school, but at home as well.
My two Grand Daughters go to a private school in Ballto. I am so impressed with the whole set up there. The pupils interact with each other with no reference to colour. there ard pupils of all race groups there. An amazing good news story. I cannot believe that in 2018 there are parents who will pull their children from a good school simply because there may be more pupils of colour thsn whites. The exodus from former Model C schools in my view is simply because of the falling of teaching standards.
Black parents are not pulling their children out of these schools – does that mean they don’t care about ‘teaching standards’ or ‘quality of education’? More tragic (for the children) than whites pulling their children out of schools because they are becoming more mixed, is white parents failing to accept the real reason for their actions, and failing to accept the reality of South African society and the world. For how long and how far will they run?
Such a powerful point…and tragic that we deny ourselves the great joy of knowing one another..
Amen to Justin Justifying. . .I always believed that the BIGGEST crime / legacy of Apartheid was / is Bantu Education. Open access on Merit System would have a perfect SA today ?
My children attended a Private School in La Lucia from Pre-School to Matric, and when we look at class photos over the years, we noticed the same trend, and this is a Christian School. So if we as Christ Followers cant work, live and love according to what Christ teaches, then how do we expect to truly portray Christ in our lives.
Such a powerful point. We seem to be quite comfortable to be Christians and racist at the same time. How do we miss the irony?
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I couldn’t agree more – people need to wake up and smell the roses – we are a rainbow nation and should be embracing each other and encouraging our children to see people for who they are inside and not because of the colour of our skins. Parents should be encouraging this behavior and should be sending their children to schools that represent the demographics of our country. My son goes to a multicultural Model C school in our area and the standard of the teaching and leadership is excellent !!