South African School Under Fire For Racist Classroom Activity

Parklands College, a school in Cape Town, South Africa has issued an apology after it came under fire for a racist classroom activity given to Grade 7 learners to complete. The activity, titled "Fun Activity", required that learners design a poster advertising a slave auction that took place in the 1800s. The matter is now reportedly under investigation, according to News24.

READ: Black Alumni of South Africa, It's Time We Stand for Change at Our Former Schools

The incident came into the spotlight after a parent with a child at the school took to Facebook to condemn the school.

In a recent statement, Parklands College Principle, Carel Kriek, said the following:

"The assignment was issued before lockdown and pupils were expected to hand it last week. We have explained to many people and apologised to those who are offended. I don't think the intention of CAPS for slavery topic is to put anyone in a bad light to play one race against the other. It is something that we are supposed to do as a primary school. We removed it three years ago and Umalusi forced us to put it back in our curriculum."

Umalusi is the official body that is responsible for accrediting private schools as well as private assessment bodies that offer tuition for qualifications.

The incident has occurred during a time where the world over is battling with systemic racism and the targeting of the Black community. With the continued Black Lives Matter protests in America, and now several other countries in solidarity, tone deaf incidents such as these only serve to further highlight just how deep the roots of racism run.

The conversation has also led to many South Africans on social media sharing their experiences of racism at various high schools under the banner #RacismInSAHighSchools. Read some of their reactions below: