Afrikaans will remain at Stellenbosch varsity

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From the Cape Times on November 08, 2005

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Afrikaans will remain at Stellenbosch varsity

By Karen Breytenbach

Stellenbosch University will remain a multilingual academic institution
where Afrikaans will be used as an academic language, the university
council announced on Monday after an informal meeting over the weekend.
Fear that the university's language policy would threaten Afrikaans as a
language of instruction have dominated the Afrikaans press, and debates
have been raging in academic circles since the policy was implemented in
2002.

Chairperson of the university council, Edwin Hertzog, said the council
considered the language policy and plan "a very important matter" and
"takes note of concerns regarding the danger of Afrikaans being on a
so-called 'slippery slope'". 'Committed to the use and sustained
development of Afrikaans' Although they remained committed to the current
policy, the council would "pay continuous attention to dangers" in the
implementation of the policy, he said.

"That is why I requested that such a special discussion forum should be
held, to discuss inter alia developments around the current language
debate. "Since this was not a formal meeting, any recommendations will be
tabled at the next scheduled council meeting, on November 14 ," he said.
In a statement he said that on Saturday the university's council had held
a special discussion forum about the current language debate and concluded
that they would "remain committed to the language policy accepted in
2002".

The university would therefore remain "committed to the use and sustained
development of Afrikaans as an academic language in a multilingual
context. "Language is used at the university in a manner that is directed
towards engagement with knowledge in a diverse society", as it is outlined
on the university's website. Hertzog also said that "two years after the
implementation of the language policy and language plan there are
encouraging signs that teaching in Afrikaans, as a default option, is not
being compromised".

The university's head of marketing and communication, Susan van der Merwe,
said that in 2002 it had been decided that the policy would be reviewed
every three years. It would therefore be reviewed in 2006 "and will
involve inter alia a thorough quantitative evaluation of the position and
trends regarding Afrikaans teaching at Stellenbosch University".


This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Times on
November 08, 2005


Published on the Web by IOL on 2005-11-08 07:05:00
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