Crowthorne Christian Academy silent while second family seeks Gauteng education department help

21 Aug 2023

The Gauteng Department of Education is ‘prepared to place all affected learners of the Midrand school in alternative schools as we believe that Crowthorne Christian Academy is not an institution that can effectively educate children’.

A second family has approached Gauteng education authorities to help place their child — a learner at Crowthorne Christian Academy — at an alternative school.

They join the family of the 13-year-old learner who was videoed on 14 August being refused entry into a classroom by teacher Andries Hendrick Booysen (51) because of her hairstyle.

Booysen allegedly also pulled the learner by her dreadlocks.

He was arrested and appeared in the Midrand Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was granted R2,000 bail.

The school, in Midrand, has since been closed indefinitely.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Gauteng Education to move Crowthorne learners to nearby schools after hair incident

The Gauteng Education Department on Friday, 18 August called on parents to remove their children from the school.

Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said on Monday that the second family had asked for their child to be placed at another school.

“The department can confirm that … only 32 learners were enrolled at the said school,” Mabona said.

Attempts for comment from the school were futile as neither emails nor calls were answered.

‘Failed intervention’

The department said on Friday that it had originally hoped to use a “support and development stance”, including taking the school management team through the compliance processes of the regulations for registration.

“Furthermore, we wanted to facilitate a transformative process with them involving our Constitution, democracy, values in education and respect of human rights,” the department said.

However, Mabona said that when officials went to the school on Thursday, the owners had locked the gates and closed the school.

Mabona said numerous attempts were made to contact the school’s management, but they had not responded.

This led to a decision to issue the school with a notice of closure for operating illegally.

“Therefore, we are prepared to place all affected learners of the school in alternative schools as we believe that Crowthorne Christian Academy is not an institution that can effectively educate children. We urge all parents who have children in this school to contact the department for assistance.” DM

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South Africa

‘Failed intervention’