[lg policy] South Africa: Constitutional Court to rule on Mpumalanga school language saga

[Harold Schiffman]

ConCourt to rule on Mpumalanga school language saga

Stephen Grootes | 2 Days Ago

The Constitutional Court is expected to hear arguments on Thursday
about whether the Mpumalanga Education Department can force Hoërskool
Ermelo to teach some classes in English. The school claims the
department forced a new governing body on it illegally as part of its
bid to ensure it moved away from teaching exclusively in Afrikaans. In
January 2007, the department said Ermelo schools could not accommodate
around a 113 English-speaking pupils. When the learners were told they
could only be taught in Afrikaans the department appointed an interim
committee to determine the school’s language policy.The North Gauteng
High Court ruled against the school but that judgment was overturned
by the Supreme Court of Appeal. AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel said his
group supported the school because the department was not entirely
honest. riel said there were enough buildings available for the
department to establish an English medium school. He claimed the
department was not honest about the number of English-speaking pupils
who came forward. The case could set a precedent for language policies
and the power of school governing bodies.

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=20119
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