Afrikaans not shelved at schools

CONCERNED parents have raised their voices over the impending plans to replace Afrikaans with IsiZulu as a first additional language.

This in line with a policy to implement the province’s dominant language into the education system.

Parents of pupils in the senior primary phase are up in arms over the possible rate of failure.

‘If you fail a language, you fail the year – irrespective of how excellent your overall average is,’ said Grantham Park Primary School parent, Linde Goosen.

‘My son is in Grade 6 and it causes anxiety thinking of him learning a new language this late in his primary school career – a language like IsiZulu which he is not familiar with.’

Grantham’s Principal, George van Wyk said IsiZulu has been offered at the school as a second additional language since 2011.

‘The Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) system requires only two languages.

‘Afrikaans does not form part of that, therefore Afrikaans was offered as a third additional language but those marks are not used for promotional purposes,’ he said.

‘It was discussed at school governing body (SGB) level that those periods once belonging to Afrikaans would then be used as extra time for mathematics, English and IsiZulu, to improve our CAPS.’

Considering parents’ apprehension, the school called an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.

‘Although uncommon, a decision was made to offer both Afrikaans and IsiZulu as first additional languages, which will be decided upon by each parent once the pupil enters senior primary,’ said Van Wyk.

District eliminates confusion

uThungulu District Education Director, David Chonco said English will remain the medium of instruction throughout the district and first additional languages will be at the discretion of SGBs.

‘The policy was implemented in 2013. The choice to replace Afrikaans is at the discretion of the SGB and not the Department of Education.

‘However, IsiZulu needs to be available at schools,’ said Chonco.