Rampant Racism Claims At KGV Sparks Diversity Review

The English Schools Foundation (ESF) on Wednesday promised to take an unflinching look at “deeply troubling” allegations of rampant racism and sexual misconduct among teachers at King George V (KGV) school.

The foundation's Chief Executive Officer, Belinda Greer, said in a letter to parents that it will be developing action plans over the summer to strengthen diversity and equality across all its schools.

More than 1,400 people have signed an online petition calling for immediate reforms at KGV.

The action was initiated by a person who says she graduated from the school this year. She says the belittlement of the Hong Kong and non-white culture, such as comments on how some foods smell, and the mockery of Asian languages and names, were prevalent on campus.

She said teachers have made it a habit to mispronounce, misspell, and make fun of the names of Asian students.

This 'casual racism', she says, has also filtered down to the student body, and some teachers just turn a blind eye to racist, sexist and queerphobic comments and behaviour on campus.

The writer also slammed what she said was the "sexualisation of students" on campus, with teachers "purposefully looking up their skorts" – shorts with a skirt-like front – to check if they complied with the school's uniform rules.

Some of those who signed the online petition echoed her criticism.

One writer identifying herself as a former KGV teacher, Nina Gaad, wrote: "this resonates so deeply with my experience here. I voiced my concerns. I wrote my concerns down. They were ignored".

Another comment which apparently came from an alumni, said "I too have been through the ESF system and have personally witnessed forms of racism, name calling and intimidation from teachers way back in the day. Sad to hear it still happens".

But some disagreed and accused the writer of "ruining the KGV brand" and "affecting every graduating student and their job opportunities in the future".

In response to the allegations, KGV's principal, Mark Blackshaw, said what he has heard over the past few days is "deeply concerning", and pledged that "immediate action" will be taken, without elaborating.

The school's governing body, the English Schools Foundation also called the allegations "deeply troubling".

In a letter sent to all parents, its CEO, Belinda Greer, said the ESF will develop action plans over the summer to strengthen diversity and equality procedures and ensure that the practices experienced by every student meet their standards.

"We must listen when we hear the experiences that have been shared with us by some of our students in the past few days", she wrote.

"Perceptions are real and we cannot afford to dismiss them or to be defensive in any way."

"We must never shy away from looking critically at ourselves, or from realising that we can and must always strive to do better for our students and their families”, Greer added.