Private Windhoek schools deny race-based class placement claims
Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool (WAP) and Deutsche Höhere Privatschule (DHPS) were recently drawn into controversy after two students attended a Halloween party in blackface, wearing nametags bearing racial slurs.
Soon afterwards, a separate allegation was brought to the attention of Network Media Hub (NMH), claiming that Windhoek Gymnasium groups pupils into classes based on race.
NMH subsequently launched a broader investigation, including at WAP and DHPS, to examine class-placement practices across private schools. All schools denied the allegations made against their class placement practices.
Race has no place at school
Colette Rieckert, CEO of Windhoek Gymnasium, dismissed the allegations as completely unfounded.
“Our classes are organised solely based on the language choices of the students. Children who take Afrikaans as a first language are grouped together. That is as simple as it gets."
She added that beyond that, "our classes are mixed according to year group, and so on. It is definitely not based on race. One of our strongest points, and what we are most proud of at Windhoek Gymnasium, is the diversity within our school.”
Rieckert stressed that the school’s aim is to ensure that children of all races and backgrounds learn together, interact positively and respect one another and each other’s cultures.
She added: “In our grades 1 to 3 and in pre-school, placement is based on mother tongue. So all Afrikaans first-language children are grouped together, which mostly includes white and coloured children, and occasionally a black child, whose first language is Afrikaans rather than English."
Rieckert added that from high school onwards, placement is determined by subject choices, and all students are mixed in these groups. From there, it’s about streams, such as science or economics, she noted.
WAP groups according to results, language
At WAP, classes at the primary school level are determined by grade, with students reshuffled each year according to their exam results. From secondary school onwards, class placement is determined according to students’ language choices.
Principal of WAP's secondary school, Kobus Espach, explained it as follows: “Currently we have four classes in each grade, of which two are instructed in the Afrikaans language and two in English. Learners and parents have to choose which medium of instruction they prefer."
He said, for example, this year there are about 86 Grade 7 learners who will enrol at the high school next year.
"Fifty-two of them chose Afrikaans as their preferred medium of instruction, and 37 have chosen English as the preferred language of instruction. All of them will have Afrikaans primary language and English additional language (as a minimum), and from Grade 10 they can choose and change their primary and additional languages. They can also decide to take both languages at the primary level.”
When asked if these two streams share classes, Espach explained:
“The subject choices never mix. The Afrikaans medium of instruction always remains just Afrikaans, while the English stream will be taught in dual language (50/50) in Grade 8, then 30/70 in Grade 9, and as of Grade 10, every class is taught in English only.”
DHPS responds
NMH sent the same questions to DHPS, seeking to understand how learners are grouped at the primary level and the criteria used for high school placements.
After a delay, the school issued a brief response. “Class placement at DHPS is determined on the basis of professional, pedagogical criteria in the best interest of all students, just as at any other excellent German school abroad that has been awarded the seal of quality by the federal and state authorities.”
Ex-pupils share mixed reviews
An ex-learner of DHPS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reflected on their experience: “Honestly, I kind of strongly disliked school; a big reason was the superiority complex some of the scholars had. Some of the teachers seemed to come down harder on students of colour, speaking to them in accents or ‘dumbing it down’, which felt insulting."
The former learner claimed that "students of colour were often generalised as ‘they’ by other students. It wasn’t outright racism, but there was a noticeable difference. The school didn’t create an equally supportive environment for all students. The German stream naturally advantaged native speakers, and students whose mother tongue was not German had fewer opportunities, though that has apparently since changed.”
The individual added that in their view, Namibian history and discussions on race and privilege were limited in the curriculum during that time.
Another former DHPS pupil remembers his time at the school with mixed emotions: “My experience was overall positive. From remedial classes that supported my cognitive challenges to after-school extramural activities that kept me busy, the school played a big role in my development.”
The ex-learner recalled an incident in which an altercation with two German boys led to him being called a monkey. Losing his temper, he struck one of the boys with a foam baseball bat, breaking his front teeth. While he accepted partial responsibility, he said his parents were required to cover the medical costs, whereas the other boy, reportedly the son of a senior staff member at the time, faced no apparent consequences.
Reflecting, he added: “Looking back now as an adult, the unfair treatment left a mark on me, but despite that, my years at DHPS shaped me in many positive ways.”
Soon afterwards, a separate allegation was brought to the attention of Network Media Hub (NMH), claiming that Windhoek Gymnasium groups pupils into classes based on race.
NMH subsequently launched a broader investigation, including at WAP and DHPS, to examine class-placement practices across private schools. All schools denied the allegations made against their class placement practices.
Race has no place at school
Colette Rieckert, CEO of Windhoek Gymnasium, dismissed the allegations as completely unfounded.
“Our classes are organised solely based on the language choices of the students. Children who take Afrikaans as a first language are grouped together. That is as simple as it gets."
She added that beyond that, "our classes are mixed according to year group, and so on. It is definitely not based on race. One of our strongest points, and what we are most proud of at Windhoek Gymnasium, is the diversity within our school.”
Rieckert stressed that the school’s aim is to ensure that children of all races and backgrounds learn together, interact positively and respect one another and each other’s cultures.
She added: “In our grades 1 to 3 and in pre-school, placement is based on mother tongue. So all Afrikaans first-language children are grouped together, which mostly includes white and coloured children, and occasionally a black child, whose first language is Afrikaans rather than English."
Rieckert added that from high school onwards, placement is determined by subject choices, and all students are mixed in these groups. From there, it’s about streams, such as science or economics, she noted.
WAP groups according to results, language
At WAP, classes at the primary school level are determined by grade, with students reshuffled each year according to their exam results. From secondary school onwards, class placement is determined according to students’ language choices.
Principal of WAP's secondary school, Kobus Espach, explained it as follows: “Currently we have four classes in each grade, of which two are instructed in the Afrikaans language and two in English. Learners and parents have to choose which medium of instruction they prefer."
He said, for example, this year there are about 86 Grade 7 learners who will enrol at the high school next year.
"Fifty-two of them chose Afrikaans as their preferred medium of instruction, and 37 have chosen English as the preferred language of instruction. All of them will have Afrikaans primary language and English additional language (as a minimum), and from Grade 10 they can choose and change their primary and additional languages. They can also decide to take both languages at the primary level.”
When asked if these two streams share classes, Espach explained:
“The subject choices never mix. The Afrikaans medium of instruction always remains just Afrikaans, while the English stream will be taught in dual language (50/50) in Grade 8, then 30/70 in Grade 9, and as of Grade 10, every class is taught in English only.”
DHPS responds
NMH sent the same questions to DHPS, seeking to understand how learners are grouped at the primary level and the criteria used for high school placements.
After a delay, the school issued a brief response. “Class placement at DHPS is determined on the basis of professional, pedagogical criteria in the best interest of all students, just as at any other excellent German school abroad that has been awarded the seal of quality by the federal and state authorities.”
Ex-pupils share mixed reviews
An ex-learner of DHPS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reflected on their experience: “Honestly, I kind of strongly disliked school; a big reason was the superiority complex some of the scholars had. Some of the teachers seemed to come down harder on students of colour, speaking to them in accents or ‘dumbing it down’, which felt insulting."
The former learner claimed that "students of colour were often generalised as ‘they’ by other students. It wasn’t outright racism, but there was a noticeable difference. The school didn’t create an equally supportive environment for all students. The German stream naturally advantaged native speakers, and students whose mother tongue was not German had fewer opportunities, though that has apparently since changed.”
The individual added that in their view, Namibian history and discussions on race and privilege were limited in the curriculum during that time.
Another former DHPS pupil remembers his time at the school with mixed emotions: “My experience was overall positive. From remedial classes that supported my cognitive challenges to after-school extramural activities that kept me busy, the school played a big role in my development.”
The ex-learner recalled an incident in which an altercation with two German boys led to him being called a monkey. Losing his temper, he struck one of the boys with a foam baseball bat, breaking his front teeth. While he accepted partial responsibility, he said his parents were required to cover the medical costs, whereas the other boy, reportedly the son of a senior staff member at the time, faced no apparent consequences.
Reflecting, he added: “Looking back now as an adult, the unfair treatment left a mark on me, but despite that, my years at DHPS shaped me in many positive ways.”
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