‘Wrong teacher’ suspended

The first that Laërskool Schweizer-Reneke grade R teacher Elana Barkhuizen – who is at the centre of SA’s latest racial furore – knew of her suspension was a telephone call from her principal.

Exactly a minute later‚ North West education MEC Sello Lehari announced to the country that she had been suspended.

Barkhuizen‚ who has taught at the school for two years‚ was suspended on Wednesday last week after photographs she took of four black pupils sitting apart from their white classmates – in another grade R teacher’s class – went viral on social media.

Barkhuizen sent the photographs to a parents-teachers WhatsApp group to show the parents how their children were experiencing their first day of school. The photograph showing the children separated was one of four she took.

The other three photographs show the children integrated and mingling at their school desks.

The Solidarity trade union is now challenging her suspension and the way it was done.

The union says that it was not within Lehari’s powers to suspend Barkhuizen as she was employed by the school gov“g body, not by the provincial education department.

Solidarity’s Dirk Herman‚ speaking at a media conference in Pretoria on Tuesday‚ said no proper reason had been given for Barkhuizen’s suspension.

“The closest thing we have received to an explanation is a one-line message saying that she has been suspended with full pay. It does not say why.”

He said the other grade R teacher‚ in whose class the children were photographed‚ had not been suspended.

“I doubt she will be suspended as the department has said they would decide only once the investigation is done.

“This is ironic, given that Barkhuizen was suspended before the investigation began.

“This leaves the question‚ why is Barkhuizen then still suspended?”

Herman said Barkhuizen was a “sacrificial lamb”.

is not even the teacher of the class where the photographs were taken.

“The department has suspended the wrong teacher.”

Solidarity would launch an urgent court application to challenge the suspension.

“The challenge is going to be based on the unlawfulness of how the suspension was done. It does not comply with any education department policy‚ nor the Education Act.”

Herman said it was only through such a legal process that the truth would be revealed‚ “which has been hidden by the bundu court that Barkhuizen has been tried in.

“If we do not challenge this‚ the decisions of such bundu courts will become the country’s rules.

“We will also‚ after the court application is complete‚ launch a defamation case against her accusers‚ including Lehari and others‚ for falsely portraying Barkhuizen as a racist.”

Herman said Barkhuizen was a teacher known for her kind heart and her love for all children regardless of race.

“She is known for breaking down racial barriers.

“She feeds hungry children regardless of whether they are black or white.”

He said the crux of the issue came down to a lack of infrastructure supplied to schools by the education department.

“A failing education system and collapsing infrastructure‚ where there are not enough teachers who can speak to children in their mother tongue‚ has led to children being put in classes while they can neither speak English nor Afrikaans.

“As a result teachers are being forced into situations where they have to do the best they can under very trying circumstances.”- TimesLIVE