[lg policy] South Africa: Unisa ‘English-only policy’ debate rages

[Harold Schiffman]

 Unisa ‘English-only policy’ debate rages
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Ilse de Lange
[image: Unisa Building, Pretoria | Unisa site]

Unisa Building, Pretoria | Unisa site
Unisa said the real importance of the new language policy was not in the
treatment of Afrikaans, but in the treatment of indigenous languages.

South Africa’s only distance learning university, Unisa, could not single
out 5.1% of its students for “very privileged treatment” by retaining
Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, the university has argued.

Unisa opposed an application by civil rights group AfriForum for an interim
interdict to stop the university from implementing its new English-only
policy.

Matthew Chaskalson, for Unisa, argued in the North Gauteng High Court that
the university was committed to making the aspiration of tuition in all 11
official languages a reality and had to use its resources for the best
interest of its entire student body.

*ALSO READ: Court challenge against UFS anti-Afrikaans policy
<http://www.citizen.co.za/1281491/court-challenge-against-anti-afrikaans-ufs-policy/>*

He said the real importance of the new language policy was not in the
treatment of Afrikaans, but in the treatment of indigenous languages.

“We’re not talking about a university where a substantial number of
students choose to be instructed in Afrikaans. The facts show that, at
best, 5.1% of Unisa’s students take a single module in Afrikaans.

“We say there has been no violation of rights. They [AfriForum] attempt to
preserve a historical position of a pre-democracy era and resist the
attempt by Unisa to place all languages on an equal footing in
circumstances which can no longer be justified, either historically or
practically.”

He argued that AfriForum had not come up with a single affidavit by a
student saying that the English-only policy was a real problem and that it
had no legal standing to even argue the matter.

Johan du Toit, for AfriForum, argued that the university’s new language
policy was a serious inroad into the fundamental rights of students to be
educated in the language of their choice, where practically possible. He
argued that there had been no consultation at all with any of the students
affected by the policy before it was implemented overnight.

Du Toit said AfriForum’s main application to set aside the language policy
would probably not be concluded within the next year or two. If the court
did not grant an interim interdict and the application eventually
succeeded, the rights of students who wanted Afrikaans tuition would
forever be lost, he added.

“We’re not saying expand Afrikaans. It’s just a question of reinstating
what was there. It may be that over the years Afrikaans will lapse because
of a lack of demand,” he said.
http://www.citizen.co.za/1288353/unisa-english-only-policy-debate-rages/

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