Parents at Curro Foundation School in Roodeplaat have given the institution a week to address concerns about racial segregation.
Eyewitness News on Thursday revealed a group of almost 30 parents signed a petition to complain about young pupils being split into classes based on race.
But the Pretoria school denied this, saying it was protecting children from minority groups and wanted to remain a multicultural institution.
A special meeting was held on Thursday evening.
One mother said not all parents were left satisfied after the meeting but there was progress.
“The school has been given seven days. Within those seven days, they need to come up with a plan in step-by-step detail about how they are going to address issues that have been raised.”
The woman says other issues emerged during the meeting.
“We really pray and hope that they will be able to get a positive resolution to this matter,” she said. “We will not finance racism of any sort at any institution.”
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation meanwhile weighed in on the matter, saying the school’s explanations echo those used to justify apartheid.
Curro School’s André Pollard said white pupils are only kept together until there are enough children to split up equally.
He says this issue affects mostly grade R to grade three pupils and the formula is there to keep the school multicultural.
Curro Foundation School’s Chris Van der Merwe says language also plays a role when it comes to splitting children up into classes.
He denied allegations that skin colour was used to determine the composition of classes.
The Gauteng Department of Education says if the allegations are true, the school’s actions must be condemned.
It says there’s no room for racism at any school, regardless of whether it’s a public or private.
Officials were sent to the school on Friday to investigate.
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