<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="gmail-single-headline">
Unisa ‘English-only policy’ debate rages </h1>
<div class="gmail-theshare">
<div style="clear:both" class="gmail-addthis_sharing_toolbox"><div class="gmail-at-share-tbx-element gmail-addthis-smartlayers gmail-addthis-animated gmail-at4-show" id="gmail-atstbx"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" id="gmail-at-7d362497-b9b7-49dc-a643-7eb8cd18c6d5">AddThis Sharing Buttons</span><div class="gmail-at-share-btn-elements"><a style="background-color:rgb(59,89,152);border-radius:0%" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-facebook" tabindex="1"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to Facebook</span><span style="line-height:32px;height:32px;width:32px" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper"></span></a><span style="line-height:32px;font-size:11.4px" class="gmail-at_flat_counter">4</span><a style="background-color:rgb(29,161,242);border-radius:0%" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-twitter" tabindex="1"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to Twitter</span><span style="line-height:32px;height:32px;width:32px" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper"></span></a><a style="background-color:rgb(77,194,71);border-radius:0%" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-whatsapp" tabindex="1"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to WhatsApp</span><span style="line-height:32px;height:32px;width:32px" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper"></span></a><a style="background-color:rgb(132,132,132);border-radius:0%" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-email" tabindex="1"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to Email</span><span style="line-height:32px;height:32px;width:32px" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper"></span></a></div></div></div>
</div>
<div class="gmail-single-byline">
Ilse de Lange </div>
<div class="gmail-single-img">
<img src="http://citizen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2016/01/l_ORT.jpg?babc8d" alt="Unisa Building, Pretoria | Unisa site" class="gmail-img-responsive">
<p class="gmail-wp-caption-text">
Unisa Building, Pretoria | Unisa site </p>
</div>
<h2 class="gmail-single-excerpt">
Unisa said the real importance of the new language
policy was not in the treatment of Afrikaans, but in the treatment of
indigenous languages. </h2>
<div class="gmail-single-content">
<p>South Africa’s only distance learning university, Unisa, could
not single out 5.1% of its students for “very privileged treatment” by
retaining Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, the university has
argued.</p>
<p>Unisa opposed an application by civil rights group AfriForum for an
interim interdict to stop the university from implementing its new
English-only policy.</p>
<p>Matthew Chaskalson, for Unisa, argued in the North Gauteng High Court
that the university was committed to making the aspiration of tuition
in all 11 official languages a reality and had to use its resources for
the best interest of its entire student body.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.citizen.co.za/1281491/court-challenge-against-anti-afrikaans-ufs-policy/" target="_blank">ALSO READ: Court challenge against UFS anti-Afrikaans policy</a></strong></p>
<p>He said the real importance of the new language policy was not in the
treatment of Afrikaans, but in the treatment of indigenous languages.</p>
<p>“We’re not talking about a university where a substantial number of
students choose to be instructed in Afrikaans. The facts show that, at
best, 5.1% of Unisa’s students take a single module in Afrikaans.</p>
<p>“We say there has been no violation of rights. They [AfriForum]
attempt to preserve a historical position of a pre-democracy era and
resist the attempt by Unisa to place all languages on an equal footing
in circumstances which can no longer be justified, either historically
or practically.”</p>
<p>He argued that AfriForum had not come up with a single affidavit by a
student saying that the English-only policy was a real problem and that
it had no legal standing to even argue the matter.</p>
<p>Johan du Toit, for AfriForum, argued that the university’s new
language policy was a serious inroad into the fundamental rights of
students to be educated in the language of their choice, where
practically possible. He argued that there had been no consultation at
all with any of the students affected by the policy before it was
implemented overnight.</p>
<p>Du Toit said AfriForum’s main application to set aside the language
policy would probably not be concluded within the next year or two. If
the court did not grant an interim interdict and the application
eventually succeeded, the rights of students who wanted Afrikaans
tuition would forever be lost, he added.</p>
<p>“We’re not saying expand Afrikaans. It’s just a question of
reinstating what was there. It may be that over the years Afrikaans will
lapse because of a lack of demand,” he said.</p>
</div><a href="http://www.citizen.co.za/1288353/unisa-english-only-policy-debate-rages/">http://www.citizen.co.za/1288353/unisa-english-only-policy-debate-rages/</a><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>
</div>