Language issue delays classes
SINCE the beginning of the school year, there have been tussles between schools and the department of Basic Education over languages in schools.
At Fauna Park Primary School in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, parents were up in arms because pupils would not be taught Xitsonga and Sepedi.
At Hans Strydom High School in Mokgophong, also in Limpopo, black pupils did not have classes for about a week because there were no qualified African language teachers.
But, according to a survey released by the SA Institute of Race Relations, more than 60% of pupils choose English for learning, though it is a home language for only 7% of them.
The research shows that out of the country's 12.2-million pupils only 851536 speak English at home, yet 7.6-million pupils choose English as their preferred language of instruction.
Zulu is the most widely spoken home language, spoken by more than 3.1-million pupils.
However, fewer than a third of them choose to be taught in Zulu. The trend is similar in isiXhosa, Setswana, Sepedi, siSwati, and Tshivenda-speaking pupils.
Fewer than a quarter of pupils who speak Ndebele, Sotho or Tsonga as their home language actually choose to learn in their respective languages.
Apart from English, Afrikaans is the only language that has more pupils choosing it as their preferred language of instruction than it had pupils who speak it at home.
Paul Colditz of the Federation of School Governing Bodies said: "The issue is not an easy one. It is the responsibility of governing bodies to determine languages in schools. In some cases, if you choose an African language, the department does not pay for it and parents have to pay additional fees.
"We have about 60% of schools that are no-fee and that means they cannot afford to hire an additional teacher. The biggest problem is metropolitan areas because people speak too many languages.
"What language do you choose in that case? This is not easy but we need to negotiate and consult."
He said most parents prefer English as a medium of instruction.
Department of Basic Education spokesman Panyaza Lesufi said they were working on a policy document aimed at giving African languages a bigger place in schools.