We had a great deal of reaction to the letter our Chairman of the School Governing Body, Mr Winston Owen, wrote to the newspapers about DHS. We posted this letter on Facebook and have received over 58 000 views. It has also led to a number of Old Boys and Parents voicing their opinions. The majority of these comments were very positive but we also had a few negative comments.
A lot has changed in the last 20 years here at DHS and some of the Old Boys will not recognise their old school. The vast majority of these changes have made us a better school. I believe fully that the boys from DHS are well prepared for the challenges they will face once they leave school.
As a school we face many of the problems our country faces on a daily basis. We are battling to maintain our infrastructure and our learner population reflects the socio-economic divide that we currently experience in SA. Some of our boys and parents struggle financially with a few arriving hungry to school but we also have some extremely wealthy parents and boys. It is in this environment that our boys mix with other boys from a wide range of backgrounds. We do not shield and protect them from the “real world”. They do not get wrapped in cotton wool and neither do they live in a bubble. They are exposed to all these influences. This, I believe, will shape our boys into loyal, responsible and caring adults who will understand and embrace the complexities of our Nation.
This diverse society of ours will teach our boys to value the differences in people. They are exposed to different views and opinions and they get the opportunity to evaluate these on a daily basis. They can only grow because of this. It is a fact that the lack of cohesion between races, sexes and cultures is due to mistrust, stereotyping and not understanding how each of us operate. We have embraced this diversity and have created the “brotherhood” that Winston referred to in his letter.
None of the comments that were negative refer to recent times at DHS. I would like to invite any Old Boy to visit us and experience the DHS of 2016 first hand.
Leon Erasmus
14th Head Master
