The chief executive of the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) told the Durban equality court yesterday that children at a local school "are taught what we call kitchen Zulu".
The chief executive of the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) told the Durban equality court yesterday that children at a local school "are taught what we call kitchen Zulu".
Ntombenhle Nkosi said Durban High School's (DHS) language policy was "promoting the subjugation of indigenous languages. Our children are being taught what we call kitchen Zulu".
Nkosi is arguing that her son, who attended the former Model C school last year, was being discriminated against because he was being taught sub-standard Zulu.
"These languages are still subservient to English and Afrikaans," she said.
The main language of instruction at DHS is English. Last year the school offered Zulu and Afrikaans as additional languages.
Nkosi said if the school did not have the resources to offer her son "proper" Zulu, it should have applied to the KwaZulu-Natal education department for resources to teach pupils at the respective levels in the languages requested by them. It was, she said, their responsibility to teach pupils the language of their choice.
"We have to correct [the impression] that English is the home language of most people in the province," she said.
Maurice Pillemer, presenting the case for the school, said: "The school is actually an English language medium school."
He said since the start of this year, the school had used its own funds to secure a Zulu language teacher.
"She was under no compulsion to send the child to this school. The child was treated like every other child."
Pillemer said that Nkosi "withdrew her son" from the school at the end of 2007 without giving notice.
She had also not paid outstanding school fees. - Sapa
kitchen zulu heat
The chief executive of the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) told the Durban equality court yesterday that children at a local school "are taught what we call kitchen Zulu".
The chief executive of the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) told the Durban equality court yesterday that children at a local school "are taught what we call kitchen Zulu".
Ntombenhle Nkosi said Durban High School's (DHS) language policy was "promoting the subjugation of indigenous languages. Our children are being taught what we call kitchen Zulu".
Nkosi is arguing that her son, who attended the former Model C school last year, was being discriminated against because he was being taught sub-standard Zulu.
"These languages are still subservient to English and Afrikaans," she said.
The main language of instruction at DHS is English. Last year the school offered Zulu and Afrikaans as additional languages.
Nkosi said if the school did not have the resources to offer her son "proper" Zulu, it should have applied to the KwaZulu-Natal education department for resources to teach pupils at the respective levels in the languages requested by them. It was, she said, their responsibility to teach pupils the language of their choice.
"We have to correct [the impression] that English is the home language of most people in the province," she said.
Maurice Pillemer, presenting the case for the school, said: "The school is actually an English language medium school."
He said since the start of this year, the school had used its own funds to secure a Zulu language teacher.
"She was under no compulsion to send the child to this school. The child was treated like every other child."
Pillemer said that Nkosi "withdrew her son" from the school at the end of 2007 without giving notice.
She had also not paid outstanding school fees. - Sapa