A PRESTIGIOUS fee-paying south Dublin secondary school has launched an inquiry into allegations of racism from students past and present.
St Columba’s College in Whitechurch has announced it is conducting an independent review after they were contacted by a former pupil who “bravely shared her experiences of racism while attending the school”.
According to RTE, the former pupil who first complained to St Columba's is Seyilogo Braithwaite, a young Nigerian woman who graduated from the school several years ago.
She was motivated to write to the school with details of her experience after seeing the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement across the world.
In a statement, St Columba’s College said Ms. Braithwaite’s decision to come forward prompted other pupils, both current and former, to come forward with stories of their own.
Speaking in the statement, school warden Mark Boobbyer said: “The Board and Management of St. Columba’s College is taking these matters very seriously and are taking a number of steps to address and respond to the issues raised.”
As a consequence, the school has established an independent review “to evaluate whether there is a culture of racism, direct or indirect, within the College”.
"We can only imagine how difficult it was for the young people involved to write down those experiences. We thank them for having the courage to bring these matters to our attention," the school said.
One of the country's most exclusive fee-charging secondary schools has begun an inquiry into allegations from some former students of racism at the school. St Columba's College in south Dublin has announced an independent review is to be carried out.https://t.co/smjgVIxc1m
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 7, 2020
“This review is being conducted by an experienced legal and governance professional and will involve others with expertise in the area of cultural diversity, with direct experience within an educational setting,” Mr Boobbyer continued.
“We have asked those working on the review to conduct it within a 6-week period. This is to allow sufficient time to ensure that the process is thorough and robust.
“The College is committed to shining a searchlight into these issues, which are of the utmost importance to the College community and are part of a wider discourse in society.
“I very much hope that the conversation which will ensue from this process will be a catalyst that will allow us to ensure the care for our pupils is of the highest standard. Where there are lessons to learn we will not be afraid to learn from them.”
St Columba’s charges annual fees of up to €29,000 for boarders, and anywhere between €8,600 and €11,500 for day pupils.
See More: Dublin, Racism, South Dublin, St Columba’s College
