AfriForum asks for Afrikaans language rights to be maintained at UFS
20 August 2015
In response to an advertisement of the University of the Free State (UFS) calling for comments regarding the review of the University's language policy, AfriForum asked that the language offer and rights of Afrikaans speakers be maintained.
In a presentation sent to the University today, AfriForum inter alia emphasises that Afrikaans is the second largest first language and largest high-function language used in the University’s catchment area, as compared to English in the sixth place. AfriForum also refers to the South African Constitution that recognises the right of students to be taught in Afrikaans, as well as the fact that the language has been used for decades in all faculties in the South African academic world, which means that no argument can be raised about the feasibility of Afrikaans as medium of instruction.
AfriForum expressed concerns about the fact that a standard practice, namely the regular review of an institution's language policy, might be abused to undermine the position of Afrikaans at the University. According to Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO of AfriForum responsible for language issues, the process at UFS has already been contaminated to a large extent due to the fact that the rector had made sweeping statements in the public domain about students’ needs and opinions.
These generalisations have established perceptions that Afrikaans is unwelcome at the UFS and have polarised students from different language communities. One such example is that some students apparently believe that Afrikaans students benefit because they sometimes have English text books and get supplementary explanations of subject matter in Afrikaans too. AfriForum asks that remarks of this nature should be opposed strongly by the relevant university structures and that the language review process should be conducted in a neutral, fair and transparent manner.
As part of its presentation, a report commissioned earlier this year by AfriForum was submitted. It was compiled by the international language rights expert, Prof Fernand de Varennes. In it he emphasizes students’ right to education in Afrikaans and identifies international best practices for the accommodation of multiple languages at universities.
AfriForum suggests that such examples should be investigated; that the position of Afrikaans as teaching and administrative language should be maintained by the University; and that channels should be created by means of which students and lecturers can be assisted with language problems or language complaints can be filed without fear of victimization.
Bailey emphasized that AfriForum is more than willing to support the requests for additional subsidies by universities offering multilingual education.
AfriForum encourages stakeholders also to submit their proposals regarding the review of the UFS language policy. Information is available from [email protected].
Statement issued by Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO, AfriForum, August 20 2015
