In the past two weeks we have been witnessing a worrying discourse about the new law that was passed in Namibia to recognise same-sex marriages from other countries: “The Supreme Court of Namibia has ruled in favour of recognising same-sex marriages from other countries, making Namibia only the second nation on the continent to do so after South Africa.” (https://bit.ly/3NuWFIt)
This ruling recognises the fundamental human rights of every person residing in Namibia. There has been a lot of discussion and strong voiced opinions against this ruling in our country.
We here at WIS believe in these fundamental human rights and we support the idea of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice for all humans. Our Identity, Belonging and Equity Policy states that “Windhoek International School is committed to encouraging a safe and supportive environment so that all students thrive academically and socially. Our learning community is enhanced by both historically under-represented and over-represented groups across our community’s expressions of language, culture, race, colour, age, religious belief, physical condition, gender, sexual identity, ability, cognition, income, and nationality.
WIS is a deliberately diverse learning community, but we know that diversity in and of itself will not lead to inclusion, equity, and dignity for all. We define inclusive education at Windhoek International School as our institutional and collective commitment to engage with and embrace all members of our school community. The philosophical sense of “Ubuntu'' may be the best way to describe our vision for diversity and inclusion at WIS; it calls us to share our humanity within a community that is generous, caring, and compassionate towards one another.”
In reference to this policy, we are currently reviewing our Code of Conduct as well as our policies that guide the conduct of all members of our community. We need to reflect on ways we interact with each other and respect each other’s uniqueness.
Our attention needs to focus on “building a culture of respect, kindness and belonging”. An increase in incidents of bullying and unkind language as well as behaviour necessitates us as a community to take stock of who we are and particularly who we strive to be. It is particularly important that each one of us reflects on where we stand in the Bullying Cycle (Dan Olweus). We should all aim to “do something to help stop it”.
For me this is not merely with regards to how we treat each other, but how we treat our environment, how we treat our belongings and how we treat our community values.
Are you a “follower”, a “supporter” of things that are not okay, a “disengaged onlooker”? or Do you stand up for what is right, report wrongs and do something about it? We are all responsible for each other’s as well as our planet's wellbeing! |
Maggie Reiff
Secondary Principal
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