Tito Mboweni: We will regret phasing out Afrikaans at Tuks
25 January 2019
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on Thursday came out against the decision by the University of Pretoria (UP) to phase out Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
The traditionally Afrikaans university announced that English would be used as its primary language at all its campuses.
While students who registered before 2019 would still be given the option to be instructed in Afrikaans, those newly registered will attend English-only classes.
Mboweni tweeted: "I publicly, and in my personal capacity, DISAGREE, with the phasing out of Afrikaans as one of the mediums of teaching at the University of Pretoria. As a country, you are shooting yourselves down. You will regret it in 30 years’ time."
UP spokesperson Rikus Delport said between 1992 and 2015 the number of students who registered Afrikaans as their home language decreased by over 50%, prompting the change, EWN reported.
Delport said this served to make the campus more inclusive.
"It’s aimed at facilitating social cohesion on the campus. We will continue to encourage multilingualism to foster unity and provide equal opportunities for students of all South African languages. We encourage the practice of assisting students in their home language where possible."
