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Language probe raises ire

University of Pretoria Picture Credit: Gallo Images
University of Pretoria Picture Credit: Gallo Images

A storm is brewing over the University of Pretoria's decision to review its language policy, which could see Afrikaans scrapped as a language of instruction.

Vice-chancellor Cheryl de la Rey resolved to consult with the senate, council and all stakeholders, including the Department of Higher Education, on the institution's language policy based on demands by students during last week's Fees Must Fall campaign.

"Accordingly, an investigation is under way, and (a) report has been promised by the end of the year. Assumptions should not be made as to the outcomes at this stage," university spokeswoman Anna-Retha Bouwer said.

While this move was hailed as progressive by the Higher Education Transformation Network, it has raised the ire of the Afrikaner rights group AfriForum.

AfriForum Youth spokesman Ian Cameron said management has yielded to student groups intent on rendering campuses ungovernable through violence and intimidation, asking whether Afrikaner students would have to resort to similar actions to protect their rights.

"This step disregards the right of Afrikaans students at UP to receive education in their mother tongue," he said.

Cameron said this was the latest attack on Afrikaans mother tongue education at the country's universities. According to Cameron, investigations conducted by the University of Pretoria between 2007 and 2010 showed that it will cost R100-million a year for continued classes in Afrikaans.

He said it would cost about the same amount for every student to be taught in their mother tongue.

"(The university) has money for that. Government has a constitutional mandate to ensure that everyone receives mother tongue education and to date we are not seeing the fulfilment of that mandate," he said.

Cameron said they will hand over a memorandum to management next week demanding that Afrikaans continued to enjoy equal status with English.

Higher Education Transformation Network's executive director Reginald Legoabe said if Afrikaans continued to be one of the languages of instruction with English, then all students must learn in their mother tongue, but said this would be a very expensive system.

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