LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
Afrikaans-only schools waning, says minister
Language is a contentious issue in education, with some viewing Afrikaans schools and universities as discriminatory
The number of single-medium Afrikaans schools has been declining since the early 2000s as more pupils choose English as the primary language of instruction, says Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga. Language is a contentious issue in education, with some viewing Afrikaans schools and universities as discriminatory. In 2015, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi accused Afrikaans-medium schools of using language to exclude other races while seeking to remain "Afrikaans enclaves". Lesufi said he was prepared to go to the Constitutional Court to force such schools to become dual-medium. In response to a question from the Freedom Front Plus in Parliament, Motshekga said the number of Afrikaans single-medium schools, most of which were in the Western Cape and the Northern Cape, had decreased from 1,814 in 2002 to 1,234 in 2016. The largest decrease took place in 2010, when the number of Afrikaans-medium schools dropped by 158, she said. "The demographics in the areas of some schools ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.