A prestigious south Dublin school has launched a major investigation into allegations of racism.
St Columba’s College in Whitechurch said they were contacted by a former pupil who “bravely shared her experiences of racism while attending the school”.
This led to a number of former and current pupils who reached out to share their own experiences.
School warden, Mark Boobbyer, said in a statement: “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.”
The school has established an independent review to look into these incidents and “to evaluate whether there is a culture of racism, direct or indirect, within the College”.
He added: “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.
“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.”
The move comes as there have been a number of Black Lives Matter protests across the world following the horrific death of a black man named George Floyd who was killed when a white police officer put his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes.
