[lg policy] Fight for Afrikaans on campus is a fight for all languages, says AfriForum

Fri Jul 8 14:53:54 UTC 2016

Fight for Afrikaans on campus is a fight for all languages, says AfriForum
by Bekezela Phakathi
<http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/staffprofiles/2012/08/02/bekezela-phakathi-profile>
,  08 July 2016, 05:38

[image: PROTEST: Students demonstrate in support of the retention of
Afrikaans as the primary medium of instruction outside the University of
Pretoria’s Hatfield campus in February. Picture: THE TIMES]
PROTEST: Students demonstrate in support of the retention of Afrikaans as
the primary medium of instruction outside the University of Pretoria’s
Hatfield campus in February. Picture: THE TIMES
Related articles

   - Stellenbosch University to give Afrikaans and English equal status
   <http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/06/23/stellenbosch-university-to-give-afrikaans-and-english-equal-status>
   - Stellenbosch to go ahead with review of language after challenge is
   scrapped
   <http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/05/20/stellenbosch-to-go-ahead-with-review-of-language-after-challenge-is-scrapped>

THE recent decision by three traditionally Afrikaans universities — the
University of the Free State, University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch
University — to give more emphasis to English as a medium of instruction
and assessment has sparked an outcry by Afrikaans lobby groups, which argue
that the move is unconstitutional and could cause higher dropout rates.

In March, after weeks of student unrest, the council of the University of
the Free State reached a unanimous decision to make English the primary
medium of instruction from 2017. The council said English would be used at
undergraduate and postgraduate level at all three campuses. AfriForum
challenged the decision in court and judgment was reserved in the matter.

"Afrikaans has a right to survive. This ... is about the supremacy of the
Constitution," Johan du Toit SC, representing AfriForum, argued in the High
Court in Bloemfontein.

In June, the universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch adopted new language
policies. At the University of Pretoria, English will become the primary
language of instruction and assessment, while Stellenbosch University’s
policy provides for students who want to study in Afrikaans while improving
access to those who prefer to study in English.

This, critics say, will sideline Afrikaans and promote English. Both
universities were rocked by student unrest prior to the adoption of the new
language policies with calls for transformation growing louder.

*READ THIS NEXT Transformation demands universities rethink their role
<http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/2015/10/27/transformation-demands-universities-rethink-their-role?ref=yfp>*

Those calling for Afrikaans universities to remain as such argue that the
Constitution guarantees everyone education in their mother tongue. Their
general stance is that Afrikaans communities have a constitutional right to
demand tertiary education in Afrikaans. "This matter is likely to go all
the way to the Constitutional Court, which will need to clarify section 29
(2) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to be taught in your
mother tongue," says Alana Bailey, the deputy CEO of AfriForum.

According to Bailey, the issue of mother tongue tuition is misunderstood.
She says numerous studies have shown that students who are taught in their
mother tongue tend to perform better and that this leads to fewer dropouts.

"The ideal situation is to develop all local languages so that they can be
a medium of instruction at tertiary level. Afrikaans is the only local
language that has been developed up to tertiary level … and if it is being
sidelined, what chance is there for other local languages to be developed?

"We are not anti-English but just pro-Afrikaans," says Bailey.

However, constitutional law expert and Stellenbosch University alumni
Pierre de Vos says any university language policy that directly or
indirectly excludes non-Afrikaans speakers (because some courses are only
taught in Afrikaans) would not comply with section 29(2) of the
Constitution.

Neither would such a policy comply with section 9 as it would be
discriminating against citizens on the basis of race, he says.

Section 29(2) of the Constitution states that everyone has the right to
receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in
public educational institutions such as schools or universities, but
qualifies this by stating that this can only occur "where that education is
reasonably practicable".

De Vos says the section also states that in order to ensure effective
access to, and implementation of, the right to education, the state must
consider all reasonable alternatives, including single-medium institutions,
but must take into account equity; practicability; and the need to redress
the results of past racially discriminatory laws and practices.

"Although the Constitutional Court has not ruled definitively on this,
those who argue that the new (language) policies fall foul of section 29(2)
will have an extremely difficult task to convince the Constitutional Court
(that they do)," he says

In June Stellenbosch University said its policy explicitly made provision
for students who preferred to study in Afrikaans, while also improving
access to education for students who were proficient in English only.

"The university accepts and has been advised by senior counsel that the new
language policy is valid and enforceable," says Stellenbosch University
spokeswoman Susan van der Merwe.

University of Pretoria spokeswoman Anna-Retha Bouwer says that the goal of
the new policy is to facilitate social cohesion and promote an inclusive
university community.

The university, says Bouwer, will continue to encourage multilingualism to
foster unity and to provide equal opportunities to speakers of all South
African languages.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2016/07/08/fight-for-afrikaans-on-campus-is-a-fight-for-all-languages-says-afriforum

-- 
**************************************
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, 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)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20160708/ab6cbce0/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list