<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><br></div>--<i style="font-size:1.55rem;background-color:rgb(247,247,247);color:rgb(55,58,60);font-family:"open sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;box-sizing:inherit">The University of Pretoria’s proclamation that Afrikaans will be phased out as a medium of instruction has sparked fierce debate.</i><div class="gmail-post--intro" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-bottom:1.42857rem;color:rgb(55,58,60);font-family:"open sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:rgb(247,247,247)"><div class="gmail-post--blurb" style="box-sizing:inherit;font-size:1.55rem;line-height:2.3rem;width:570px"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem"></p></div><img alt="university of pretoria_maps" height="545" src="https://turntable.kagiso.io/images/university_pretora_google_maps.width-800.jpg" width="800" style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; height: auto; max-width: 100%;"><span class="gmail-icon-camera" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-right:0.5rem"></span>Photo: Google Maps</div><div class="gmail-section-margined gmail-ad-container" style="box-sizing:inherit;text-align:center;margin-bottom:30px;color:rgb(55,58,60);font-family:"open sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:rgb(247,247,247)"></div><div class="gmail-post--body" style="box-sizing:inherit;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1);clear:both;color:rgb(77,77,77);font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.9rem;margin-bottom:2.14286rem;padding-bottom:2.14286rem;font-family:"open sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;background-color:rgb(247,247,247)"><div class="gmail-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-bottom:1.57143rem"><div class="gmail-rich-text" style="box-sizing:inherit"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.78571rem;font-size:1.7rem;line-height:2.3rem">From 2019, all first year students at Tuks will be compelled to register English as their tuition language.</p><div id="gmail-player-wrapper-44108472537026010" class="gmail-apex-desktop gmail-jw-ad-visible" style="box-sizing:inherit;max-height:369px;width:600px;overflow:hidden;margin-top:15px;margin-bottom:0px;clear:both;height:369px"><div style="box-sizing:inherit;text-align:center"><div style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block"><div id="gmail-player-label-44108472537026010" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:600px"></div><div id="gmail-player-container-44108472537026010" style="box-sizing:inherit"><a href="https://rubiconproject.com/?utm_source=ad%20unit&utm_campaign=outstream" class="gmail-rp-apex-logo" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(102,102,102);text-decoration-line:none;width:auto;height:10px;text-align:right;margin:0px;display:block;font-size:8px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:10px;padding-left:30px;background-image:url("https://video-ads-apex.rubiconproject.com/apex/assets/RP_Logo.svg");background-size:25px 7px;background-position:0% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat">powered by Rubicon Project</a></div></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.78571rem">The institution has cited its numbers, saying the number of students who register Afrikaans as their home language have decreased dramatically over the years.</p><div id="gmail-zdt_3644892_1_wrapper" style="box-sizing:inherit;float:none;padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:35px;height:2px"><div id="gmail-containerDiv-3644892_1" style="box-sizing:inherit;float:none"><div id="gmail-mainPlayerDiv-3644892_1" class="gmail-zg-mainContainer" style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-WrapperAdPlayers-3644892_1" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:0px;height:0px"><div id="gmail-NonGuranteedAdPlayers-3644892_1" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:0px;height:0px"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:0px;height:0px"><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed0" style="box-sizing:inherit"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed1" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:600px;height:338px"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed2" style="box-sizing:inherit"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed3" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:600px;height:338px"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed4" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:600px;height:338px"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed5" style="box-sizing:inherit"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed6" style="box-sizing:inherit"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed7" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:600px;height:338px"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed8" style="box-sizing:inherit"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed9" style="box-sizing:inherit"></div></div><div style="box-sizing:inherit"><div id="gmail-3644892_1_NonGuaranteed10" style="box-sizing:inherit;width:600px;height:338px"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.78571rem">The decision was also fueled by the university’s council and senate who adopted the language policy to ensure transformation at the institution.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.78571rem">The African National Congress (ANC) welcomed the decision, saying it will boost transformation in the country’s education system.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.78571rem">The governing party’s spokesperson, Dakota Legoete, acceded that even though they respect the Constitution when it comes to the use of home languages, Afrikaans cannot be used to exclude South Africans.</p></div></div></div><span style="background-color:rgb(247,247,247);color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"open sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.25rem">“The ANC believes that the university has taken a step in the right direction and must continue in its efforts towards transformation in the interest of all students, the community and other members of the university,” says Legoete</span> <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies                     <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone:  (215) 898-7475<br>Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                      <br><br>Email:  <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a>    <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>