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<h2>Storm brews over University of Pretoria’s decision to review language policy</h2>
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by Sipho Masombuka,
October 29 2015, 17:56</div>
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<img src="http://www.bdlive.co.za/incoming/2015/10/22/tuks-protest-21-october-2015/ALTERNATES/crop_400x250/Tuks+Protest+21+October+2015" alt="Students run past the Old Arts Building at the University of Pretoria's Hatfield campus last week. Picture: Aron Hyman" height="250px" width="400px">
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Students run past the Old Arts Building at the
University of Pretoria's Hatfield campus last week. Picture: ARON HYMAN</div>
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<h2 class="">
<span>In this article</span>
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<p>A STORM is brewing over the University of
Pretoria’s (UP’s) decision to review its language policy‚ which could
see Afrikaans scrapped as a language of instruction.</p><p>Vice-chancellor
Cheryl de la Rey resolved to consult with the senate‚ council and all
stakeholders‚ including the Department of Higher Education‚ on the
institution’s language policy, based on demands made by students during
last week’s Fees Must Fall campaign.</p><div class=""><div class=""><h4>In depth: Fees must fall</h4><a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/indepth/feesmustfall/"><img alt="fees must fall" src="http://cdn.bdlive.co.za/indepth/varsitythumb.png" align="left" width="75">News, views and analysis of SA's student protests against fee increases</a><br><br></div></div><p>"Accordingly‚
an investigation is under way‚ and (a) report has been promised by the
end of the year. Assumptions should not be made as to the outcomes at
this stage‚" spokeswoman Anna-Retha Bouwer said.</p><p>While this move
was hailed as progressive by the Higher Education Transformation
Network‚ it has raised the ire of the Afrikaner rights group AfriForum.</p><p>AfriForum
Youth spokesman Ian Cameron said management yielded to student groups
intent on rendering campuses ungovernable through violence and
intimidation‚ asking whether Afrikaner students would have to resort to
similar actions to protect their rights.</p><p>"This step disregards the right of Afrikaans students at UP to receive education in their mother tongue‚" he said.</p><p>Mr Cameron said this was the latest attack on Afrikaans mother-tongue education at the country’s universities.</p><p>According
to Mr Cameron‚ investigations conducted by the University of Pretoria
between 2007 and 2010 showed that it would cost R100m a year for
continued classes in Afrikaans.</p><p>He said it would cost about the same amount for every student to be taught in their mother tongue.</p><p>"(The
university) has money for that. Government has a constitutional mandate
to ensure that everyone receives mother-tongue education and to date we
are not seeing the fulfilment of that mandate‚" he said.</p><p>Mr
Cameron said next week they would hand over a memorandum to management
demanding that Afrikaans continue to enjoy equal status with English.</p><p>The
Higher Education Transformation Network’s executive director‚ Reginald
Legoabe‚ said if Afrikaans continued to be one of the languages of
instruction along with English‚ then all students must learn in their
mother tongue, but said this would be a very expensive system.</p><p>"English
would be a typical language of consensus because it is used
internationally and in the business environment. We will not have a
problem if all groups agree to gravitate towards the utilisation of
English so that we do not give anybody extra advantage‚" he said.</p><p><a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2015/10/29/storm-brews-over-university-of-pretorias-decision-to-review-language-policy">http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2015/10/29/storm-brews-over-university-of-pretorias-decision-to-review-language-policy</a><br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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