Thembisa learners sent back home to ‘undo’ hair

The female learners in Grades Nine through 12 at Zitikeni Secondary School in Thembisa were angry after being told to “undo” their hairstyles or leave the school grounds on March 13.

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The learners were seen wandering outside the school premises early in the morning.

One of the learners, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Thembisan that parents were unaware that their children were told to leave school during exams and were not allowed to enter because they failed to follow the hair-related rules.

“Some learners’ hairpieces were cut by the school so that they could enter the building and resume their schoolwork.

“However, we chose to stay outside, not cut our hair, and instead fight for our rights.”

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The learners said they have had their hairstyles for a long time and were baffled as to why the school would take this action now.

They claim the education system is unjust because the school’s code of conduct did not specifically prohibit hairpieces as hairstyles, which is why they made their choice.

However, it appeared that the school opposed the learners’ inability to organise their hair in a way that complied with the school regulations.

The learners then decided to take things into their own hands and called the local media outlets to voice their complaints and explain why and how they were escorted out of class.

“A woman who came to the gate and saw a parent of one of the learners asked the learner to call their parent in to explain the situation because we were waiting outside airing our complaints.

“The learner was permitted to enter the school grounds after they spoke to the parent.

“We seized the opportunity to enter the school grounds by running and going to our respective classes as soon as the woman opened the gate for the learner, but that only lasted a short while because the teachers dragged us out of class and stopped us from continuing with daily activities,” said one learner.

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Steve Mabona, a spokesman for the Gauteng Department of Education, said that the department disputed allegations that female learners at Zitikeni Secondary School were reportedly denied admission because of unsuitable hairstyles.

“Information at our disposal reveals that the girl learners were warned several times about having long braids, which is against the school code of conduct.

“When they showed up at school on the day with long braids, they were requested to stand outside the gate while letters to their parents were prepared by the school.

“They were later allowed into the school, and their parents were invited to a meeting to discuss the actions of the learners.

“In the meeting, parents agreed that learners should have hairstyles that are in line with the school’s code of conduct,” said Mabona.

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