Following protests at Pretoria High School for Girls regarding the school’s hair policy, which has been labelled discriminatory and racist, Cambridge High School has received a petition from past pupils calling on their alma mater to review its codes of conduct relating to hair.
The petition, signed by 233 “concerned past pupils”, was sent by Lwando Mtshizana of Grahamstown, who wrote that the codes had made pupils feel “rejected and marginalised”.
He urged his alma mater to scrap rules that prohibit pupils, “in particular black and Muslim students, from wearing their hair the way that feels natural to them.
“We believe that we have been subjected to conform to eurocentrism for many, many years, not only as pupils of the school, but by extension even in life outside of the school.”
The petition, e-mailed on Tuesday, gives the school seven days in which to respond.
Cambridge High School acting principal Spencer Welman said he had been disappointed to receive the petition yesterday.
He said a number of hair rule changes had been made since Mtshizana was at the school and that the school prided itself on “celebrating diversity”.
Welman said hair regulations and styles had been reviewed as recently as June and had been done in consultation with the prefect body and SRC.
“We have girls with afros and we do accommodate Muslim pupils. We have two Muslim matrics who are permitted to wear beards.”
He said weaves were not allowed at the school, and while dreadlocks were generally not permitted, “concessions” had been made for those who wore them for “cultural and other reasons”.
He said pupils had always been allowed to speak in the vernacular. “And of course pupils may speak their home language. That has never been an issue.”
Welman said he did not expect pupils to adopt white or Western cultural codes.
“We were a eurocentric school in the past, but we are trying very hard to break away from that. Nothing is so entrenched that it is not open to discussion.”
Hudson Park High School principal Roy Hewett said the school had “taken note” of protests at Pretoria High School for Girls.
“We are well advanced regarding the transformation process and a significant part of that involves revisiting policies and codes of conduct including hairstyles.”
He declined to provide specifics regarding hair rules while Clarendon principal Pat Rose said: “The channels of communication are open at Clarendon High for all our girls to discuss our hair rules at any time.”
Stirling High School deputy principal Alan Webster said the school did not condone racist or oppressive behaviour in any form.
“We have a school code of conduct that, amongst many aspects of school life, indicates permitted hairstyles and uniform.
“That code was drawn up in conjunction with staff, parents and students, and every student who joins Stirling agrees on arrival to uphold those rules.
“This is not an ideal time for debate, with the start of matric prelim exams today, but we do understand that SA has a history of racism that is seen to manifest in different ways.
“We are always open to discussion on these issues within our school structures.”
At Ntsika Secondary School in Grahamstown, principal Madeleine Schoeman said very few hairstyles were banned.
One restriction was that girls may only have natural colour hair. “They can have extensions, but not in different colours.
“And boys may not have paths cut into their hair.”
She said braids were allowed, but that long hair had to be tied up.
“Hair just has to be neat.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Past pupils want hair style review
The petition, signed by 233 “concerned past pupils”, was sent by Lwando Mtshizana of Grahamstown, who wrote that the codes had made pupils feel “rejected and marginalised”.
He urged his alma mater to scrap rules that prohibit pupils, “in particular black and Muslim students, from wearing their hair the way that feels natural to them.
“We believe that we have been subjected to conform to eurocentrism for many, many years, not only as pupils of the school, but by extension even in life outside of the school.”
The petition, e-mailed on Tuesday, gives the school seven days in which to respond.
Cambridge High School acting principal Spencer Welman said he had been disappointed to receive the petition yesterday.
He said a number of hair rule changes had been made since Mtshizana was at the school and that the school prided itself on “celebrating diversity”.
Welman said hair regulations and styles had been reviewed as recently as June and had been done in consultation with the prefect body and SRC.
“We have girls with afros and we do accommodate Muslim pupils. We have two Muslim matrics who are permitted to wear beards.”
He said weaves were not allowed at the school, and while dreadlocks were generally not permitted, “concessions” had been made for those who wore them for “cultural and other reasons”.
He said pupils had always been allowed to speak in the vernacular. “And of course pupils may speak their home language. That has never been an issue.”
Welman said he did not expect pupils to adopt white or Western cultural codes.
“We were a eurocentric school in the past, but we are trying very hard to break away from that. Nothing is so entrenched that it is not open to discussion.”
Hudson Park High School principal Roy Hewett said the school had “taken note” of protests at Pretoria High School for Girls.
“We are well advanced regarding the transformation process and a significant part of that involves revisiting policies and codes of conduct including hairstyles.”
He declined to provide specifics regarding hair rules while Clarendon principal Pat Rose said: “The channels of communication are open at Clarendon High for all our girls to discuss our hair rules at any time.”
Stirling High School deputy principal Alan Webster said the school did not condone racist or oppressive behaviour in any form.
“We have a school code of conduct that, amongst many aspects of school life, indicates permitted hairstyles and uniform.
“That code was drawn up in conjunction with staff, parents and students, and every student who joins Stirling agrees on arrival to uphold those rules.
“This is not an ideal time for debate, with the start of matric prelim exams today, but we do understand that SA has a history of racism that is seen to manifest in different ways.
“We are always open to discussion on these issues within our school structures.”
At Ntsika Secondary School in Grahamstown, principal Madeleine Schoeman said very few hairstyles were banned.
One restriction was that girls may only have natural colour hair. “They can have extensions, but not in different colours.
“And boys may not have paths cut into their hair.”
She said braids were allowed, but that long hair had to be tied up.
“Hair just has to be neat.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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