High school split over language

AFRIKAANS is yet again at the centre of a racial divide in the classroom — this time at Fochville High School in Carltonville, west of Johannesburg.

The school’s governing body adopted Afrikaans as the medium of instruction, but was forced to teach in both English and Afrikaans last year.

At the time the Gauteng department of education compelled the school to accept 37 black pupils whom it accommodated in its first-ever English-speaking class in Grade 8. Now in Grade 9, the entire class has remained black.

A string of affidavits from their parents has detailed the extent of their frustrations. Black pupils in all other grades continue to be taught in Afrikaans.

One pupil has become so despondent over repeating Grade 9 that she has threatened to commit suicide twice. She has failed several times and blames her performance on her difficulty in learning through the medium of Afrikaans.

Her mother submitted an affidavit in support of the Gauteng education department’s court bid to have the school’s language policy set aside.

The school in turn is challenging the department’s instruction to teach in both languages and its power “to override ” the school’s language policy.

The mother of the Grade 9 pupil — who is in the English class for the first time this year — said her daughter’s education had suffered due to being taught in Afrikaans.

More than 20 other parents of the Grade 9 pupils who are being taught in English have also submitted affidavits in which they described their alienation because of the school’s language policy.

Another parent said he felt “humiliated ” and “excluded ” after attending a meeting at school that was conducted in Afrikaans.

“I felt as though, as a black parent, I was treated as lesser than white parents.”

He said communication at school was in Afrikaans, adding: “It makes it difficult for me to understand or get involved at the school.”

Some parents said they could not remove their children because they could not afford transport fees to other schools.

Only 89 of the 841 pupils enrolled at the school last year were black.

The parents, who are being represented by lobby group Section27, are hoping that the court will condone their late filing of an application opposing the school’s language policy. Some parents fear that the school may ditch the single English class next year.

Due to the school holidays, the Sunday Times was unable to reach Fochville High School for comment.