Pretoria - Afrikaans speakers at the University of Pretoria will be protected at all costs. So vowed AfriForum Youth, as Tuks mulled over the adoption of English as the official language for lectures, tutorials and assessments.
The civil rights organisation on Tuesday declared it would go to any lengths, including approaching the Constitutional Court, to protect the rights of Afrikaans students at the university.
AfriForum blasted the university and accused it of being obsessed with English instead of promoting other official languages.
Spokesman Henrico Barnard said the adoption of English as the medium of instruction would not only exclude Afrikaans-speaking students, but result in huge financial implications.
“The Afrikaans community contributes approximately R1.1 billion to the coffers of the university,” Barnard said. The state only contributed about R678 million, he said.
The possible adoption of the proposed language policy recommended by the transformation lekgotla last weekend would lead to academic impoverishment, he added.
“The cost of losing non-English-speaking students and donors, and courses that students would fail or discontinue because of language problems, will cripple the institution,” Barnard said.
AfriForum walked out of the lekgotla that adopted the proposal that English be the only medium of instruction for lectures, tutorials and assessments.
The university had brought together different student movements to discuss, among others issues, the Tuks language policy. Submissions were made and the English-only policy proposal adopted. AfriForum representatives, however, staged a walk-out.
“We walked out of the lekgotla after being repeatedly denied the right to voice our opinion on the issues raised,” AfriForum youth leader Marthinus Jacobs said. “All attempts from our side to participate in the lekgotla constructively were negated.”
But SRC head Thabo Shigange begged to differ and said AfriForum leaders stayed on until the proposal was made - at that moment they walked out. “We objected after an agreement had already been reached on the proposed policy.”
Shigange said AfriForum had been given the chance to voice its opinion. “The fact that AfriForum objected indicates that it did indeed get a chance to say something.”
However, Jacobs accused the institution of short-sightedness in its obsession with English. It should rather promote the expansion of all official languages, such as Sepedi, as a language of tuition, he said.
“We condemn and disregard the proposed policy as it takes away students' constitutional right to be taught in their mother tongue.”
Jacobs said AfriForum would prepare its own presentation on the language policy and submit it to the independent transformation panel of the university council, since it could not do so during the lekgotla.
The panel was set up to advise on transformation, including language policy and institutional culture.
Alana Bailey, deputy head of AfriForum, said Tuks, like other universities, seemed to succumb to ideological pressure and anarchist threats of violence. This was not what an institution that highly regarded academic freedom and excellence should do, she said.
University spokeswoman Anna-Retha Bouwer confirmed that AfriForum could still make its submission after missing the opportunity at the lekgotla.
Bouwer said all registered students and movements, such as the EFF Student Command, DA Students Organisation and AfriForum Youth, had been invited to make submissions to the panel.
“It is too soon to discuss any group of students being disadvantaged by the adoption of the policy.
“The implementation of the policy will still be debated. A consultation process is ongoing and various considerations and transitional strategies are being taken into account,” she added.
The recommendation adopted by the lekgotla has to be passed by the Senate on June 2 before a council sitting of June 30.
But AfriForum said it would not take the policy’s progression lying down. “If it gets adopted and made official we will institute legal action,” said Jacobs.
“We are willing to escalate the case of every citizen’s constitutional right to mother tongue education to the highest court in South Africa.”
Pretoria News