DEATH KNELL TOLLS FOR AFRIKAANS AT UNISA
The FF Plus has with shock taken note of the intention of the Department of Communication Sciences at UNISA to submit a proposal to the Senate of the university requesting that all courses of this department are only offered in English as from the beginning of 2012. This proposal will according to reports be discussed by the language committee of the Senate on the 4th April 2011. UNISA's language policy at present provides for both Afrikaans and English as medium of instruction.
"If the relevant department succeeds with getting rid of Afrikaans from its department, it will open the way for a total removal of Afrikaans at UNISA. This is unacceptable that Afrikaans students are discriminated against. These students undertake their courses through correspondence teaching at UNISA for specific reasons and do not have any alternative university," Wouter Wessels, the FF Plus' national youth spokesperson said.
The FF Plus will be holding talks with UNISA with regards to this issue and will not hesitate to approach the Minister of Higher Education to request his intervention.
The department of Higher Education should adjust the state financing models for universities to ensure that a shortage of funds do not lead to the neglecting of multi-lingualism at tertiary institutes.
"The Afrikaans students at the Department of Communication Sciences are a minority group and in terms of Section 29(2) of the Constitution have a right to receive education in Afrikaans as it is reasonably possible to be done. Afrikaans' higher functions should be protected. It should not be allowed that the status of English alone is addressed at the expense of other official languages of South Africa ," Wessels said.
Statement issued by Wouter Wessels, FF Plus Youth Spokesperson, March 30 2011
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