[lg policy] Afrikaans at Unisa: Judgment reserved – AfriForum

[Harold Schiffman]

Afrikaans at Unisa: Judgment reserved – AfriForum
Natasha Venter |
19 March 2018
Organisation says university taking a giant leap backwards to
monolingualism

*Judgment reserved in AfriForum’s court case over Afrikaans at Unisa*

*19 March 2018*

Judgment has been reserved in the case of AfriForum against the monolingual
English language policy of the University of South Africa (Unisa). The case
was heard today in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. Unisa’s new
language policy stipulates that English is the only primary language of
instruction at this institution, which will mean the phasing-out of
Afrikaans.

According to Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO of AfriForum, this boils down to
gross infringement of the internationally recognised language rights of
students at this institution. “Unisa has over the decades mastered the
ability to present modules in Afrikaans. With the new policy the university
is taking a giant leap backwards to monolingualism, not only to the
detriment of Afrikaans, but also all other speakers of indigenous South
African languages. AfriForum hopes that this case will be settled in favour
of the civil rights organisation so that access to tertiary education can
be expanded, rather than further favouring first-language English speakers
and treating the more that 90% of other South Africans as second-class
citizens by forcing them to study in a second language.”

Bailey refers to the revised national language policy for higher education
that is currently available for public commentary, as announced in the
Government Gazette of 23 February 2018. “The concept policy for this exact
reason advocates for wider language empowerment and acknowledges Afrikaans
as an indigenous South African language. Unisa’s decision in favour of a
monolingual language policy is in direct contravention with this. Further,
Unisa is exceptionally able to provide full-value multilingual education in
various languages, as it is a distance learning institution where so-called
segregated classes, such as at the University of the Free State (UFS),
cannot be used as an excuse for monolingualism.”

Bailey urges the public to support AfriForum and the protection of
Afrikaans language rights with R10, by sending an SMS with the word “Unisa”
to 38313.

*Natasha Venter, Media Relations Officer, AfriForum, 19 March 2018*
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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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