A local learner’s artwork has upset Christians on social media after their year-end art submission was seen to be disrespectful to Christianity.

The social media outcry began after a video featuring one Grantleigh school's learners final art projects was filmed and uploaded to Facebook, where it quickly went viral.

The artwork featured is part of a final submission to the Independent Examination Board (IEB) and was displayed in the school foyer as part of a year-end exhibition.

Images include those of a religious nature, but could be considered offensive in that they include sketches of God and Jesus as clowns, torn pages from the Bible used to create papier-mâché demons, and other images that could be understood to represent Satanist themes.

In the video, the clearly upset father says he loved the school, but that it was a "disgrace" and it "broke his heart" that the school allowed this display. He insists he respects the teachers, but calls for a protest against the display.

The school, in Kwambonambi in Kwa-Zulu Natal, is part of the Curro group, and representatives of the group told Parent24 that the project was filmed and uploaded to social media without the school’s consent. This is despite requests to not publicly display a learner’s final artwork, as the project had to be understood within the context of the assigned theme.

"Curro are cognisant of the allegations made on social media and the matter is currently subject to an internal investigation," a Curro representative told us.

"Curro reiterates that comments made about the school, the artwork and the learner are not an accurate reflection of our school and the situation referred to," she said, adding that they reserve the right to withhold comment until the internal investigation has concluded.

All schools within the Curro group adopt a Christian ethos, and do not condone cyber bullying, religious intolerance or hate speech.

According to their website, Grantleigh is an "independent school with a Christian ethos", educating students in "a caring and ethical community" to think "creatively for the benefit of humankind and the environment".

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