Putting aside the ethical question of Riverside College secretly spying on its pupils (Is Orwell still prescribed reading in our schools?), the school seems to have acted with undue haste to simply airbrush away a mother who dared challenge its disciplinary practices.
It’s understandable that the parents of the boy the school wanted to discipline were upset – they were only looking out for their son’s best interests, and that meant ensuring he received a fair hearing.
The mother’s request for the school to first allow the Western Cape Education Department to complete its investigation certainly seems reasonable enough. However, instead of taking the high road and hearing the mother out, the school appears to have taken the path well trodden by those in positions of power who resent being called to account by those with less power. There seems to be a lot of that going around right now, but it’s refreshing that there are also plenty of gutsy people in all walks of life in our country – including the likes of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, public protector Thuli Madonsela, the girls at Sans Souci Girls’ High and Pretoria High School for Girls and now the parents of this Riverside College pupil – who are willing to stand up and fight injustice whenever and wherever they find it.
