Afrikaans is not accommodated in the Department of Basic Education

After several serious complaints about the content of the national paper for Grade 11 Physical Sciences in 2014, the civil rights organisation AfriForum investigated the matter. It was found that up to 27% of the paper's content was incorrect and that as a result many students did not pass the subject, or their subject average dropped with as much as 20%.

AfriForum then made an urgent appeal to all 23 universities in South Africa that they should also take into account these learners' Grade 12 June examination marks for purposes of selection decisions in disciplines such as medicine, occupational therapy, veterinary science et cetera. AfriForum also submitted a complaint to the Department of Basic Education regarding the paper's content and its consequences.

The department responded and asked us to send them the question paper, memorandum and any documentation in support of our finding, with which we complied.

Carien Bloem, Head of AfriForum's Education Campaigns, is upset about the response by the department. "This morning I received an e-mail in which the spokesperson for the department requests us to translate the documentation in English and to send it to them again, as neither he nor his colleagues speak any Afrikaans," she said.

"How can the department represent the interests of learners, if it can only handle documents in one of the country's eleven official languages? It is unacceptable that the documents cannot be handled in Afrikaans and that not a single person is available at the department who can communicate in Afrikaans. It is also a violation of the Use of Official Languages ​​Act (Act No. 12 of 2012), which states that all government departments should function in a minimum of three languages, ​​and that all other languages ​​should be accommodated as far as possible as well. Not only does the department now violate the 2014 Grade 11 learners' rights to equitable service delivery, but also the public's language rights," Bloem said.

In light of the seriousness of the matter, the department's request for a translation in English was followed up. "AfriForum is now awaiting their feedback to determine how we will pursue the matter," Bloem explained.

Statement issued by Carien Bloem, Head: Education Campaigns, AfriForum, February 24 2015

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