Under ANC rule, nearly a third of Afrikaans schools have disappeared since 2002
11 July 2017
Under ANC rule, single-medium Afrikaans schools have decreased with nearly a third since 2002 and this serves as proof that Afrikaans is under vicious attack at the level of basic education as well, says adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson for Basic Education.
In her response to a parliamentary question asked by the FF Plus, the minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, said that she does not have statistics since 1994 at her disposal but that the number of Afrikaans schools have decreased from 1984 in 1994 to only 1234 in 2016. (Please see the questions and answers below).
The reason for this, according to the minister, is that there is a ‘greater demand’ for English amongst learners and there is a ‘decrease’ in the number of Afrikaans learners at schools.
Adv. Alberts says that he finds the minister’s response and reasons surprising, the FF Plus has not observed a decrease in the number of Afrikaans learners at all. What is actually happening is that Afrikaans is deliberately and systematically being eliminated from schools.
“There is an aggressive attitude towards Afrikaans as Afrikaans schools are forced to accept learners that prefer other languages and that very quickly leads to the school having to become double-medium and before long it is completely English. One of the biggest reasons for this occurrence is that new schools are not being built and many existing schools are dilapidated and unused.
“The merciless attack on Afrikaans launched by the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, serves as further evidence.
“I will certainly put follow-up questions to the minister to find out what evidence supports her assumptions. The evidence has to come from objective, scientific studies. I will also confront her, once more, about the protection of Afrikaans schools as well as the creation of schools for mother-tongue education in other languages, which will also serve to protect Afrikaans,” says adv. Alberts.
Issued by Anton Alberts, FF Plus chairperson and parliamentary spokesperson: Basic education, 11 July 2017
