Pretoria High School for Girls was recently the subject of a silent protest by grade eights, which is not something you see all too often.

Yes indeed, the awful topic of decolonisation of universities  – which was prevalent during the #FeesMustFall protests last year –  has trickled its way down to high school.

Or maybe it was Beyonce.

During the school’s annual Spring Fair on Saturday, a group of learners took to a silent protest. You see, they were sick and tired of the racist undercurrent that ran through both the school’s rules and teachers’ attitudes.

While it had a lot to do with the code of conduct regarding hair, other situations had forced the girls to stand up for their ‘Africanness’ – which they felt was heavily discouraged and undermined by the school.

The Daily Vox explained:

A group of young students had organised a silent march around the school to protest against rules and regulations on the hair of black students. The march was organised as a reaction against weeks of administrative interference in students’ lives.

Marchers stated that in prior weeks, other incidents involving black girls’ hair and allegedly racist and inappropriate comments by teachers created an increasing frustration among the students. During a civvies day last week, a group of students wearing all-black clothing and doeks were surrounded by school guards during an outdoor assembly, because their clothing was regarded as “politically motivated.”

At the Fair itself, there was a large number of armed police and a K9 unit, which have never been present before.

So you might have woken up this morning to the below image being shared on social media (that’s if you are inclined to follow politically conscious people):

Now, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is due to attend the school today to address the controversy, with more than 10 000 people having signed a petition to stop the racist acts at the school – check.

“These are issues that you can’t just leave to chance. Let me go there‚ allow the school to present their side of the story but at the same time allow learners to put their side of the story‚” he said.

“I really want to arrest the situation before it gets out of control.”

TimesLive gave a breakdown of the school’s code of conduct concerning hair, which is very similar to many other schools’:

The 36-page-long conduct for learners at the school does not specifically outlaw afro hairstyles. “All styles should be conservative‚ neat and in keeping with a school uniform. No eccentric/fashion styles will be allowed‚” it reads.

The hairstyle policy notes that hair must be brushed‚ neatly tied back if long enough‚ be kept off the face‚ no dyeing‚ bleaching‚ colouring or shaving.

“Cornrows‚ natural dreadlocks and singles/braids (with or without extensions) are allowed‚ provided they are a maximum of 10mm in diameter. Singles/braids must be the same length and be the natural colour of the girl’s hair.”

One Instagram commenter had this to say on the matter:

So it takes a grade eight learner to challenge a high school’s idea on conduct? It’s people like this who change the course of history – and maybe it will be her who assists in the transformation of education in schools in this country.

Either way, it is time to stop telling black girls that their hair is ugly.

[source:timeslive&thedailyvox]