SAMANTHA ENSLIN-PAYNE: Change in authority may bring schools up to date
My son began school in 2015 and, as we weighed our options the year before as to which primary school to send him to, we were stunned to discover that only a few schools offered an African language. And this isn't only close to our home. Across the country, a relatively small percentage of former Model C schools do so - the default remains English and Afrikaans. And that was 20 years since 1994. In addition, while the demographics of the pupils at former Model C schools have changed - in some cases not much, because of the school's language policies - the teaching staff, in many cases, has not. Now the Department of Basic Education is determined to make change happen. If the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill becomes law in its current form, the department will be able to decide on a school's language policy, pupil enrolment and senior staff appointments. The bill says schools must submit their admission policies for approval by the department, which has the final say on enrolment....
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