Cape Town - A language row is brewing at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute near Stellenbosch, with Afrikaans- and Xhosa-speaking students at loggerheads over the medium of instruction.
Last week a group of students disrupted classes at the college, insisting that they be taught in English because they could not follow lectures presented in Afrikaans.
Elsenburg immediately moved to make English the only medium of instruction at the college, raising the ire of the Afrikaans students who objected.
According to some students, the acting deputy director general of Agricultural Development and Support Services in the Western Cape, Darryl Jacobs, implemented the change without consulting the students.
At a council meeting last week, the decision was reversed and lectures have since been conducted in English and Afrikaans.
The chairman of Elsenburg’s student council, Sabelwesihle Ngcobo, said black students at the college were made to feel inferior, particularly when asking for clarity during lectures.
He said they endure “racist remarks” like “why are you here if you can’t understand” and “if you can’t speak Afrikaans why not go study elsewhere”, while having to deal with the added pressure of being taught in what is essentially their third language.
Ngcobo said students disrupted classes because they could no longer stand it.
“The entire language saga has now turned into a black against white issue.
“The problem is that the 50/50 English and Afrikaans language policy has never been properly implemented. Those who cannot speak Afrikaans are alienated, and when students ask for clarification both lecturers and some Afrikaans students question them why they come to an Afrikaans college,” Ngcobo said.
Ngcobo added that students who speak other African languages are also affected.
“We are saying, if you are accommodating the Afrikaans learners, accommodate Xhosa learners as well, since the language policy in the province includes English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.”
He said he had no problem with Afrikaans as a language and only wanted Xhosa to receive equal footing.
“We merely asked that in order for everyone to be on the same page, let’s at least reach a middle ground by giving English lectures.
“We have no problem with anyone who speaks Afrikaans but the way this is being used, is to achieve a racial imbalance. The students who are now protesting against English as a medium are all white, Afrikaans-speaking students,” Ngcobo said.
Ngcobo vowed to step up the disruption campaign if the issues were not addressed.
Minority rights group AfriForum weighed in, writing to the college that the around 60 students it represents were “very disappointed and upset” to learn that they would no longer be taught in Afrikaans.
National chairman of AfriForum Youth, Henk Maree, described the move as an “ill-considered decision”, adding that the group would monitor the situation closely and take legal action if necessary.
Maree denied any racial undertones, saying AfriForum supports “mother tongue education”.
“We are not against other languages and we are not trying to promote Afrikaans at the cost of other languages, we are merely fighting for our members who are predominantly Afrikaans speaking,” he added.
The debacle has forced the institution to re-examine its language policy.
Elsenburg’s spokeswoman, Petro van Rhyn said subsequent to an extraordinary meeting held last Friday by the Council of the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, it was decided that the current 50/50 language approach of Afrikaans/English would be reinstated.
Van Rhyn said lecture material would be made available to students in English and Afrikaans and the student body would be consulted within the next two weeks to address the language issue. The intention was to establish a clear official language policy of the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute.
“Prior to the above engagement, the SRC and HC will be engaged to deliberate on their inter-relationship and the language issue, and a process of diversity training for lecturers and conflict resolution interventions for students will be instituted,” Van Rhyn said.
Cape Argus