<div dir="ltr"><h2><span itemprop="name">'Maties current language policy won't promote inclusivity'</span></h2>
<p class="">The university council has rejected management’s proposal to make English the primary language.</p>
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<img src="http://ewn.co.za/cdn/-%2fmedia%2fDDF2628FB0A348CB995556EA7357C905.ashx%3fas%3d1%26h%3d289%26w%3d463%26crop%3d1" alt="Protesting Maties students now blocking off several roads around the university. Picture: Shamiela Fisher" itemprop="image" height="289" width="463">
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<div class=""><span>Protesting Maties students now blocking off several roads around the university. Picture: Shamiela Fisher</span>
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<ul><li style="display:inline-block"><a href="http://ewn.co.za/Topic/Open-Stellenbosch">Open Stellenbosch</a></li><li style="display:inline-block"><a href="http://ewn.co.za/Topic/Stellenbosch-Universitys-language-policy">Stellenbosch Universitys language policy</a></li><li style="display:inline-block"><a href="http://ewn.co.za/Topic/Maties">Maties</a></li></ul>
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<div class=""><span itemprop="author"><a href="http://ewn.co.za/Contributors/Monique-Mortlock">Monique Mortlock</a></span> | <abbr id="mainplaceholder_0_abbrCreateDate" class="" title="9 hours ago">about 9 hours ago</abbr></div>
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<span itemprop="articleBody"></span></p><p>CAPE
TOWN – Stellenbosch University’s Student Council says the current
language policy at the institution won’t promote inclusivity.<br>
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This follows the university council’s rejection of management’s proposal to make English the primary language.<br>
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Many student groups, <a href="http://ewn.co.za/2015/09/22/Open-Stellenbosch-unhappy-with-revised-language-policy" target="_blank">including the SRC, have over the past few months been calling for a fast-track</a>
for transformation at the university applauded management’s decision to
boost English as the lingua franca at the historically Afrikaans
university.<br>
<br>
The <a href="http://ewn.co.za/2015/11/30/Maties-Council-to-debate-retention-of-Afrikaans" target="_blank">council has decided to maintain the 2014 language policy</a> which gives English and Afrikaans equal status.<br>
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The SRC’s James de Villiers said the council’s decision was disconcerting.<br>
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“We see this sentiment as a confirmation the council continue with
status quo instead of dealing with the language issue, which ultimately
works to exclude many students. <br>
<br>
“We really expect council to show leadership in finding innovative
solutions to deal with the language issue. Unfortunately they chose to
continue with what’s already in place.” </p>
<p>On Monday, a delegation from trade union Solidarity promised to
present the results of a referendum on the retention of Afrikaans at
Stellenbosch University to the institution's council.<br>
<br>
The council was faced with a critical decision, whether or not to
support a proposal by Rector Wim de Villiers to make English the primary
language of communication at the university.</p>
<p>But Solidarity’s chief executive Dirk Hermann said the wide support
for Afrikaans confirmed that unilateral decisions by university councils
would not be accepted lying down.<br>
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He said the Afrikaans community was standing together for the preservation and development of the language at tertiary level.</p>
<p>(Edited by Leeto M Khoza)</p><p><a href="http://ewn.co.za/2015/12/01/Maties-current-language-policy-wont-promote-inclusivity">http://ewn.co.za/2015/12/01/Maties-current-language-policy-wont-promote-inclusivity</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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