South Africa: Mom takes school to court over language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Mom takes school to court over language policy

18 March 2008
Mhlaba Memela

A KwaZulu-Natal parent has taken Durban High School to court for
teaching her son sub-standard isiZulu, while other languages such as
Afrikaans and English were given priority.
Ntombenhle Nkosi is the first parent to take the school to court
following a dispute over language transformation. Nkosi lodged her
complaint at the equality court on behalf of her son against the
school and its governing body in October last year. Nkosi argues that
her son, whose mother tongue is isiZulu, is being discriminated
against by the school by being taught the language as a second
additional language, or third level isiZulu, which should be offered
to non-isiZulu speakers. Nkosi, who is a chief executive of the Pan
South African Language Board (PanSALB), has paved the way for many
parents to challenge the lack of transformation in most former model C
schools in the country.


"I became concerned when my son's results indicated that he was taught
isiZulu as an additional language not as mother tongue. "According to
the Department of Education's national curriculum statement, children
have a right to be taught their mother tongue at a high level," she
said. Nkosi said she tried to address the matter with the school after
receiving a letter enquiring how parents wanted their children to be
taught languages. "I wrote back indicating that children should be
taught as per guidelines in the curriculum statement.

"Nothing had changed in his mid-term results, instead he was insulted
by an Afrikaans teacher," she said. She said she was forced to remove
her son from the school because of the issue. "I want them to know
that they are breaking the law as they fail to follow the curriculum
statement on languages."
Sibusiso Nkosi, a spokesman for the PanSALB, said the situation at
former model C schools where African children were made to leave their
African languages would not go unchallenged. He said the case was of
national importance as it addressed the lack of transformation to
improve the status of indigenous languages.


"Our schools should create an environment in which children feel
comfortable to learn their languages and cultures. "As a democratic
country which promotes linguistic diversity, it is wrong to let other
citizens to be cheer leaders, while others enjoy their freedoms,"
Sibusiso Nkosi said. The case will be heard in the equality court
tomorrow.

http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=729037

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
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. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************