Cullinan Combined School: Lesufi once again disregards rights of Afrikaans-speaking communities

28 January 2020

It is clear that Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng MEC for Education, is continuing his assault on the Afrikaans-speaking community as he abolished Afrikaans at the Combined School in Cullinan.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education, the decision to do away with Afrikaans as medium of instruction at the school was made due to the waning number of Afrikaans learners attending the school.

The FF Plus, however, views it as scandalous that the Department has no regard for minority rights, and Afrikaans minority rights in particular. In fact, this is a case of double standards because Afrikaans schools are targeted and forced to accommodate learners who speak other languages and are even expected to build new classrooms, while Afrikaans learners are being turned away from certain other schools where Afrikaans as medium of instruction was done away with.

One is justified in asking the question of why Afrikaans-speaking learners, who are the minority, are being removed and sent to other schools? It would only be fair to expect schools to make classrooms available to Afrikaans learners as well.

In the interim, the FF Plus will engage with the Cullinan community and offer support to the disadvantaged learners. The party will also confront the Department of Education about the abolishment of Afrikaans and the learners who were sent to other schools.

Issued by Anton Alberts, FF Plus national chairperson and MPL: Gauteng, 28 January 2020