****** or just exclusion of black kids, you decide

i know the issue of race in South Africa is a difficult one to discuss without racing heads or having everyone having opinions and usually it addressed with such emotions that everyone forget to look at the actual facts.

3 years ago i decided to approach merchiston school for an application for my son for grade 1, after reading praised reviews about the school. i was flattery turned down without even getting an application or the my name being listed into the school waiting list my Mrs M Verwey who flatly informed me the school was full.

at that time i wondered how come there was no waiting list or at least being given a form like other school in pietemaritzburg do, but the experience was crippling i just didn't take it up. i was just shocked by the level of attitude by the school and their front person dealing with parents.

after i informed my mother, she decided to try as well thinking maybe i got the whole thing wrong but to my dismay she experienced the same thing.

when my son was in grade one 1, i urgently needed a school because my mom was moving from Balgowan clinic to town and my son was schooling in howick and i worked in pretoria. i again approached the school and i was turned down again same attitude nothing had changed so i concluded that it has to be about race, i could be wrong but the way the matter was handled i felt like the Mrs Verwey was a gate keeper preventing the intake of black children. i also looked at their website once could hardly pick black children from there.

another incident my friend was moving from pretoria to pietermaritzburg, and was asking for best schools. i gave her the list and specifically told about Merchiston that she could try it but i informed her that due to my past experience, i do not think the school will even listen to her or be put on the list and true to my words she had the same experience as me, told on the first phone call school is full and will not be excepting any children must look at other schools. once could say this is a different incident but the way it was handled it was just the same.

i do not want ruin the reputation of what i think is a good school, but it would be unfair if such is raised, most of the times from what i heard once can only get a space there if approach the department of education, and the school is forced to even consider black children. one must ask is this right why can't children not be given the equal opportunity and why do people like mrs Verwey and the principal and maybe some teachers feels that it is best to deprived black kids of getting and equal education.

but i would like to know that the Department of Education in KZN is doing about this or if they are aware and just ignoring it.

i am just a concerned parents whose only interest is getting best education for my son so that he can have an equal standing in this world, where most of the times it feels like the Black man is on his own as Steve Biko said.