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<h1>AfriForum, Gauteng education clash</h1>
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April 28 2015 at 12:20pm <br>
By Goitsemang Tlhabye
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<span class="">INDEPENDENT MEDIA</span>
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<p>Johannesburg - Civil rights organisation
AfriForum has dismissed the Gauteng Department of Basic Education’s
latest bid to change single-medium Afrikaans schools to dual-medium
schools as a “ploy to attack Afrikaans schools”. </p>
<p>The organisation condemned a notice that was distributed
listing the names of single-medium Afrikaans schools to be considered
for the change, according to the department. </p>
<p>The Pretoria schools on the list apparently include
Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool, Laerskool Pretoria-Oos, Laerskool Anton van
Wouw and Hoërskool Menlopark. </p>
<p>Carien Bloem, AfriForum’s campaign co-ordinator for
education affairs, said they felt strongly about quality education and
every pupil’s right to be taught in their own language. The proposed
change would hamper that right, she said. </p>
<p>“The language at any school is determined by the ratio
of learners who attend it, and Pretoria schools which are single medium
have at least 80 percent of learners using that language. </p>
<p>“The department creates the false impression that an
amendment of the language policy will create room for more learners, but
there is no space for more learners. </p>
<p>“The solution is that the department should provide more schools, if that is indeed the real problem.” </p>
<p>The department, however, has said it wasn’t looking to
create dual-medium schools, but rather changing some schools in the
province into parallel schools. </p>
<p>Department spokeswoman Phumla Sekhonyane said: “Due to
the increasing demand for space in our schools and the influx of
learners from other provinces into Gauteng, the department has taken a
decision to use the available space to admit these learners. The
department must therefore utilise all available space to accommodate
these learners. </p>
<p>“The change would mean that the affected schools will
have separate classes for English and other classes in any chosen
language,” she said. </p>
<p>Professor Kobus Maree, of the University of Pretoria’s
Department of Educational Psychology, said he supported the idea the
department was mulling. </p>
<p>“Inner-city schools are filled to the brim already, and
if they have spare classrooms, there’s no excuse not to use them. It
would be in the best interests of society. </p>
<p>“Children can benefit from
any kind of mode of education, given that all the additional support is
provided to the schools and teachers,” he said. </p>
<p>“The majority of teachers already teach in their second
mother tongue, and it is therefore absolutely essential to upskill
teachers in terms of their language of teaching ability. We tend to
conjure up ghosts that need not be there and underestimate learners,”
Maree said. “AfriForum thinks it’s an excuse to destroy Afrikaans
schools.” </p>
<p>AfriForum was ready to legally oppose the move. </p>
<p><strong>The Star</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/afriforum-gauteng-education-clash-1.1851158#.VT-kFpOFLa8">http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/afriforum-gauteng-education-clash-1.1851158#.VT-kFpOFLa8</a></strong> </p>
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