Afrikaners: Why No Objections to UCT's English Only Policy
Pieter Mulder, Freedom Front Plus leader, says he's tired of double standards being applied to Stellenbosch University.Below is an article published by PoliticsWeb:
Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader, said in a statement today that he is tired of double standards and illogical arguments when it comes to the Constitution and South Africa 's official languages.
Committee members of Parliament's portfolio committee on Higher Education criticized the rector and the university during a visit to the University of Stellenbosch, because according to them, Afrikaans is still being used to exclude certain students from attending the university (see here). That while undergraduate students can already receive training in Afrikaans or English. "Why is this demand being put to Stellenbosch but not to other universities?" was Dr. Mulder's reaction to it.
Dr. Mulder asked if Mr. Marius Fransman, his committee and minister Blade Nzimande would have any objections if the University of Stellenbosch would write on their web-page under Language Requirements: "All new students who apply for entry to undergraduate and postgraduate study to this university, has to have a certain level of proficiency in Afrikaans and have to submit proof thereof before they are accepted".
"I believe they will faint and the debate will end up in Parliament. Yet, this is precisely the words which appear on the web-page of the University of Cape Town , with the difference that it refers to English and not to Afrikaans. That, in a province where nearly two-thirds of the population has Afrikaans as first language and the province already has two exclusively English universities."
"Why is it acceptable without any public hysteria or reference to the Constitution which apparently tries to put all languages on equal footing? When will the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee visit the University of Cape Town and put the same demands to them to the advantage of the majority of the Western Cape residents who are Afrikaans mother tongue speakers?" Dr. Mulder asked.
Statement issued by Freedom Front Plus leader Dr Pieter Mulder, MP, October 15 2009
Committee members of Parliament's portfolio committee on Higher Education criticized the rector and the university during a visit to the University of Stellenbosch, because according to them, Afrikaans is still being used to exclude certain students from attending the university (see here). That while undergraduate students can already receive training in Afrikaans or English. "Why is this demand being put to Stellenbosch but not to other universities?" was Dr. Mulder's reaction to it.
Dr. Mulder asked if Mr. Marius Fransman, his committee and minister Blade Nzimande would have any objections if the University of Stellenbosch would write on their web-page under Language Requirements: "All new students who apply for entry to undergraduate and postgraduate study to this university, has to have a certain level of proficiency in Afrikaans and have to submit proof thereof before they are accepted".
"I believe they will faint and the debate will end up in Parliament. Yet, this is precisely the words which appear on the web-page of the University of Cape Town , with the difference that it refers to English and not to Afrikaans. That, in a province where nearly two-thirds of the population has Afrikaans as first language and the province already has two exclusively English universities."
"Why is it acceptable without any public hysteria or reference to the Constitution which apparently tries to put all languages on equal footing? When will the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee visit the University of Cape Town and put the same demands to them to the advantage of the majority of the Western Cape residents who are Afrikaans mother tongue speakers?" Dr. Mulder asked.
Statement issued by Freedom Front Plus leader Dr Pieter Mulder, MP, October 15 2009
