Fight brewing over planned language changes for South African schools

 ·15 Mar 2021

Civil rights organisation AfriForum says it will challenge proposed language policy changes at South African schools.

The planned changes are included in the Department of Basic Education’s draft admission policy for ordinary public schools in South Africa, which was published in February.

The draft policy states that no learner may be refused admission to a public school-based solely on a language policy of that public school, and that the power to determine the language policy of the school must be exercised with due regard to the values of the Constitution.

“These should take into consideration of what is fair, reasonably practicable, equity and the need to redress the results of the past discriminatory laws and practices,” it states.

AfriForum said that the policy change will in effect come down to the ‘anglicisation’ of single-medium Afrikaans schools.

“Learners have the constitutional right to receive education in the language of their choice, and it is the Department of Basic Education’s duty to ensure that there are enough schools to make sure that this right is executed,” said Natasha Venter, AfriForum’s manager for Education Affairs.

“To merely force single-medium Afrikaans schools that already serve enough Afrikaans-speaking children to accept children that have not mastered the language is most definitely not the solution. History proves that where English is forced upon Afrikaans schools, it consequently results in the total anglicisation of these schools.”

Venter said that the centralisation of power over school placements in the department has already contained proven detrimental consequences for schools. This policy is aimed at giving even more power to the department, she said.

Other changes

The draft policy aims to provide all provincial departments of education and the governing bodies of all ordinary public schools with a framework for developing admission policies for schools.

If passed, it will replace the current admissions policy for schools which has been in place since 1998. This means that a large number of existing policies remain in place, while other issues are further expanded upon or touched on for the first time.

In addition to the above change on languages, the policy tackles issues such as:

  • Exclusion;
  • Entrance tests;
  • Age requirements;
  • The repeating of grades;
  • School zoning.

You can read a full breakdown of the proposed changes here.


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