Pinnacle College Kyalami teacher under fire for threatening to put a knee on learners’ necks
KYALAMI – The school said that the teacher has been suspended.
A teacher from Pinnacle College Kyalami has left learners feeling deeply upset following her remarks during a class.
According to one learner, who got in touch with the Fourways Review and asked to remain anonymous, the comment was made while the teacher was requesting they submit their work.
The learner said that the teacher said that she would sit on learners’ necks and give them something to protest about if they didn’t submit their work. “I am very very upset about it, she apologised… but I think action must be taken,” said the learner.
The incident comes after the recent death of an American man, George Floyd, after a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Floyd’s death has also sparked global protests as part of the Black Lives Matter campaign.
The learner shared the apology message the teacher sent to the learners, however, she feels it is not enough. The learner added that following the incident, she went to the principal to discuss the matter as she was deeply upset about it. According to the learner, about eight or nine learners attended a meeting with the teacher and the principal. She said that although they felt that the principal took time to listen to the learners’ feelings, she felt that they weren’t being properly heard.
In her apology, the teacher said, “I feel terrible about what I said. It was meant to be a joke. I am not putting down what happened to George Floyd. I do not condone it at all.”
The teacher, who is Afrikaans, went on to say that she was using the saying, ‘Ek gaan op jou nek lê tot jy dit doen‘, which means I’m going to lay on your neck until you do it, as a term of encouragement.
The teacher added, “Please, I feel hurt about you guys thinking that I would ever condone something like that. I sincerely apologise for using it in an inappropriate way! I am sorry, I care about all of you and I don’t want you to be angry with me. It was a silly, inappropriate joke, but I really didn’t mean any harm. I am truly sorry! Please forgive me.”
Christo de Wit, the CEO of Pinnacle Colleges, said, “Pinnacle Colleges does not tolerate racism, or any other form of discrimination and the matter is viewed in a very serious light.”
A statement on the school’s Facebook page on 5 June said that the teacher has been suspended.
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