The following item from the South African new site, IOL.co.za was seen on a pointer from edling via lgpolicy-list. The case was mentioned in a post on this list in April (message #1027).
After the current posting I will append below two short articles from January and March that I missed (I'm a bit behind in forwarding news). Don Court to hear language case soon http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=105&art_id=nw20080625105153851C229573 June 25 2008 at 10:57AM A trial date was on Wednesday set down for the case involving the chief executive of the Pan SA Language Board (PANSALB) who has accused Durban High School of teaching her son sub-standard IsiZulu. CEO Ntombenhle Nkosi argues that her son - whose mother tongue is IsiZulu - is discriminated against by the school by being taught his language as a second additional language which should be offered to non-IsiZulu speakers. She said this case was of national importance because it is aimed at addressing the lack of transformation by most former model C schools to alleviate the status of indigenous languages. Trial was set down for July 23 and 24 at the Durban equality court. - Sapa **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any opinions that are expressed in this message. ********************************************************************** SABC News Durban school under fire for language policy January 17, 2008, 17:15 http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/education/0,2172,162611,00.html A top Durban school is facing a legal challenge over its language policy. Durban High School has come under fire for not allowing its black students to study their home language at an advanced level. CEO of the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb), Ntombenhle Nkosi, says she's taking the school to the Equality Court - on behalf of her son - for misinterpreting the National Education Policy. Nkosi says her then grade eight son had not been given the right to choose the level of instruction for isiZulu or Afrikaans as set down by the National Curriculum for Languages. Nkosi says this could have a negative ripple effect on learners. "This problem is so huge in that when the children reach university, they won't choose our languages at a higher level because they have been taught these languages at a very simplistic level," says Nkosi. Racial segregation? The school - which is an English medium institution - has now changed its language policy on a trial basis. They are now offering isiZulu and Afrikaans as a second language for grade eights only. However, there are concerns that this could result in racial segregation among the learners. "We didn't want to create a class which is only for isiZulu speakers because in grade eight and nine, all the boys stay in one class. So, if you do isiZulu as a group, you do every subject as a group, which means that unfortunately we would have racially segregated classes," says Durban High School principal, Dave Magner. However, the complainant says this is insufficient. The case is set to be of national importance concerning the monitoring of the National Education Policy on Languages at schools. Experts say it could force schools to readdress the standards at which they teach additional languages. **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any opinions that are expressed in this message. ********************************************************************** The Sowetan Mom takes school to court over language policy http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=729037 18 March 2008 Mhlaba Memela A KwaZulu-Natal parent has taken Durban High School to court for teaching her son sub-standard isiZulu, while other languages such as Afrikaans and English were given priority. Ntombenhle Nkosi is the first parent to take the school to court following a dispute over language transformation. Nkosi lodged her complaint at the equality court on behalf of her son against the school and its governing body in October last year. Nkosi argues that her son, whose mother tongue is isiZulu, is being discriminated against by the school by being taught the language as a second additional language, or third level isiZulu, which should be offered to non-isiZulu speakers. Nkosi, who is a chief executive of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), has paved the way for many parents to challenge the lack of transformation in most former model C schools in the country. "I became concerned when my son's results indicated that he was taught isiZulu as an additional language not as mother tongue. "According to the Department of Education's national curriculum statement, children have a right to be taught their mother tongue at a high level," she said. Nkosi said she tried to address the matter with the school after receiving a letter enquiring how parents wanted their children to be taught languages. "I wrote back indicating that children should be taught as per guidelines in the curriculum statement. "Nothing had changed in his mid-term results, instead he was insulted by an Afrikaans teacher," she said. She said she was forced to remove her son from the school because of the issue. "I want them to know that they are breaking the law as they fail to follow the curriculum statement on languages." Sibusiso Nkosi, a spokesman for the PanSALB, said the situation at former model C schools where African children were made to leave their African languages would not go unchallenged. He said the case was of national importance as it addressed the lack of transformation to improve the status of indigenous languages. "Our schools should create an environment in which children feel comfortable to learn their languages and cultures. "As a democratic country which promotes linguistic diversity, it is wrong to let other citizens to be cheer leaders, while others enjoy their freedoms," Sibusiso Nkosi said. The case will be heard in the equality court tomorrow. **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any opinions that are expressed in this message. ********************************************************************** ------------------------------------ Yahoo! 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