<div dir="ltr"><h2>Fight for Afrikaans on campus is a fight for all languages, says AfriForum</h2>
<div class=""><h5>by <a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/staffprofiles/2012/08/02/bekezela-phakathi-profile">Bekezela Phakathi</a>,<span> </span> 08 July 2016, 05:38</h5> </div><div style="vertical-align:top;height:40px"><div id="artiFunc">
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<img src="http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/07/07/university-of-pretoria-xxx/ALTERNATES/crop_400x250/University+of+Pretoria+XXX" alt="PROTEST: Students demonstrate in support of the retention of Afrikaans as the primary medium of instruction outside the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield campus in February. Picture: THE TIMES" height="250px" width="400px">
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PROTEST: Students demonstrate in support of the
retention of Afrikaans as the primary medium of instruction outside the
University of Pretoria’s Hatfield campus in February. Picture: THE TIMES</div>
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<span>Related articles</span>
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<a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/06/23/stellenbosch-university-to-give-afrikaans-and-english-equal-status">
Stellenbosch University to give Afrikaans and English equal status</a>
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<a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/05/20/stellenbosch-to-go-ahead-with-review-of-language-after-challenge-is-scrapped">
Stellenbosch to go ahead with review of language after challenge is scrapped</a>
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<div class=""><p>THE recent decision by three traditionally
Afrikaans universities — the University of the Free State, University of
Pretoria and Stellenbosch University — to give more emphasis to English
as a medium of instruction and assessment has sparked an outcry by
Afrikaans lobby groups, which argue that the move is unconstitutional
and could cause higher dropout rates.</p><p>In March, after weeks of
student unrest, the council of the University of the Free State reached a
unanimous decision to make English the primary medium of instruction
from 2017. The council said English would be used at undergraduate and
postgraduate level at all three campuses. AfriForum challenged the
decision in court and judgment was reserved in the matter.</p><p>"Afrikaans
has a right to survive. This ... is about the supremacy of the
Constitution," Johan du Toit SC, representing AfriForum, argued in the
High Court in Bloemfontein.</p><p>In June, the universities of Pretoria
and Stellenbosch adopted new language policies. At the University of
Pretoria, English will become the primary language of instruction and
assessment, while Stellenbosch University’s policy provides for students
who want to study in Afrikaans while improving access to those who
prefer to study in English.</p><p>This, critics say, will sideline
Afrikaans and promote English. Both universities were rocked by student
unrest prior to the adoption of the new language policies with calls for
transformation growing louder.</p><p><strong>READ THIS NEXT <em><a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/2015/10/27/transformation-demands-universities-rethink-their-role?ref=yfp" target="_blank">Transformation demands universities rethink their role</a></em></strong></p><p>Those
calling for Afrikaans universities to remain as such argue that the
Constitution guarantees everyone education in their mother tongue. Their
general stance is that Afrikaans communities have a constitutional
right to demand tertiary education in Afrikaans. "This matter is likely
to go all the way to the Constitutional Court, which will need to
clarify section 29 (2) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right
to be taught in your mother tongue," says Alana Bailey, the deputy CEO
of AfriForum.</p><p>According to Bailey, the issue of mother tongue
tuition is misunderstood. She says numerous studies have shown that
students who are taught in their mother tongue tend to perform better
and that this leads to fewer dropouts.</p><p>"The ideal situation is to
develop all local languages so that they can be a medium of instruction
at tertiary level. Afrikaans is the only local language that has been
developed up to tertiary level … and if it is being sidelined, what
chance is there for other local languages to be developed?</p><p>"We are not anti-English but just pro-Afrikaans," says Bailey.</p><p>However,
constitutional law expert and Stellenbosch University alumni Pierre de
Vos says any university language policy that directly or indirectly
excludes non-Afrikaans speakers (because some courses are only taught in
Afrikaans) would not comply with section 29(2) of the Constitution.</p><p>Neither would such a policy comply with section 9 as it would be discriminating against citizens on the basis of race, he says.</p><p>Section
29(2) of the Constitution states that everyone has the right to receive
education in the official language or languages of their choice in
public educational institutions such as schools or universities, but
qualifies this by stating that this can only occur "where that education
is reasonably practicable".</p><p>De Vos says the section also states
that in order to ensure effective access to, and implementation of, the
right to education, the state must consider all reasonable alternatives,
including single-medium institutions, but must take into account
equity; practicability; and the need to redress the results of past
racially discriminatory laws and practices.</p><p>"Although the
Constitutional Court has not ruled definitively on this, those who argue
that the new (language) policies fall foul of section 29(2) will have
an extremely difficult task to convince the Constitutional Court (that
they do)," he says</p><p>In June Stellenbosch University said its policy
explicitly made provision for students who preferred to study in
Afrikaans, while also improving access to education for students who
were proficient in English only.</p><p>"The university accepts and has
been advised by senior counsel that the new language policy is valid and
enforceable," says Stellenbosch University spokeswoman Susan van der
Merwe.</p><p>University of Pretoria spokeswoman Anna-Retha Bouwer says
that the goal of the new policy is to facilitate social cohesion and
promote an inclusive university community.</p><p>The university, says
Bouwer, will continue to encourage multilingualism to foster unity and
to provide equal opportunities to speakers of all South African
languages.</p><p><a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/07/08/fight-for-afrikaans-on-campus-is-a-fight-for-all-languages-says-afriforum">http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/07/08/fight-for-afrikaans-on-campus-is-a-fight-for-all-languages-says-afriforum</a><br></p></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="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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