Die minister van basiese onderwys se antwoorde op parlementêre vrae het opnuut onderstreep dat Gauteng se LUR vir onderwys, Panyaza Lesufi, ‘n agenda van sy eie dryf wat gemik is teen Afrikaanse skole in dié provinsie, sê adv. Anton Alberts, voorsitter van die VF Plus. (Vrae en antwoorde hierby aangeheg).
Die minister, Angie Motshekga, het ook bevestig dat beoogde verandering aan die Skolewet niks met apartheid te make het nie wat lynreg verskil van Lesufi se uitlatings dat dit wel ten doel het om ‘apartheidspraktyke’ uit te wis.
Volgens die minister het die nodige veranderinge om weg te beweeg van apartheid in onderwys volledig ingetree met die skep van die Skolewet.
Adv. Alberts sê die positiewe wat voortspruit uit sy vrae aan die minister is dat sy opnuut bevestig het dat Afrikaanse skole niks te vrees het nie solank hulle vol is. Ook dit verskil van Lesufi se dreigemente dat selfs vol skole bloot sal moet ruimte maak vir anderstalige leerlinge.
“Die feit is dat Lesufi nie in lyn met sy gegewe begroting optree en meer skole bou nie, en ook nie dreig om Engelse skole te dwing om bykomende leerlinge in te neem nie, kan ‘n mens met net een afleiding laat, en dit is dat hy Afrikaanse skole wil vernietig.
“Lesufi se oneerlikheid skemer sterk deur en hy tree ongelukkig op soos ‘n demagoog met ‘n eie agenda en nie soos ‘n verantwoordelike provinsiale LUR vir onderwys wat na al die leerlinge in sy provinsie moet omsien nie, ongeag die taal wat hulle praat.
“Die VF Plus is nogtans sterk gekant teen die beoogde wysigings aan die Skolewet aangesien dit skole se taalbeleid uit die hande van die gemeenskap gaan neem.
“Die sentralisasie van mag is ondemokraties en kom neer op onteiening van die demokratiese regte van ouers oor hul kinders se onderrigomgewing wat die ergste vorm van onteiening kan wees in ‘n grondwetlike demokratiese bestel. Dit druis in teen die letter en gees van die Grondwet.
“Die VF Plus stem saam met die minister dat ‘n gebrek aan onderwys-infrastruktuur ‘n groot probleem is. Sy moet daarom toesien dat genoeg skole gebou kan word om alle tale te akkommodeer sonder om ‘n enkele taal te benadeel.
“Dit is insiggewend dat die minister nie kon antwoord oor nuwe geboue en of dit voldoen aan die behoeftes in Gauteng en nasionaal nie. Sy moes die inligting aanvra. Dit beteken dat enige druk wat op enige Afrikaanse skole geplaas word om anderstalige leerders in te neem irrasioneel en aanvegbaar is, want hoe kan daar bepaal word of daar ‘n behoefte is om Afrikaanse skole te dwing om oop te maak indien daar nie data bestaan oor nuwe skole nie?
Dit sluit aan by die kwessie aan dat nuwe skole in Gauteng en moontlik nasionaal nie gebou word ingevolge die infrastruktuur-begroting wat elke jaar aan provinsies toegedeel word nie. Daar sal dus ‘n volledige oudit moet plaasvind om vas te stel of LUR’e van regoor die land wel nuwe skole bou en hoe die geld wat hulle ontvang werklik aangewend word.
“Sonder sodanige oudit sal Afrikaanse skole onder beleg bly nieteenstaande die welluidende versekerings van die minister. Die VF Plus stel voor dat ‘n onafhanklike oudit in dié verband so gou moontlik gedoen word,” sê adv. Alberts.
Kontaknommers: 082 391 3117 / 065 801 7216
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 3870
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 24/11/2017
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 46/2017
3870 [Adv A de W Alberts (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:†
(1) Whether she has found that the country cannot afford single-medium schools due to the high demand for education; if not, which legal premise does she have recourse to in this regard; if so, what are the full relevant details;
(2) whether she intends to phase out Afrikaans single-medium schools and other official language schools, with the exception of English schools; if not, what steps will her department take in order to protect the listed schools against anglisation; if so, (a) how does she explain this policy position in view of her previous commitments in Parliament that Afrikaans single-medium schools had nothing to fear and (b) what are the full details of the steps her department will take in order to protect Afrikaans single-medium schools and other official language schools, with the exception of English schools;
(3) (a) what number of schools have been built by the Gauteng Department of Education since 1 June 2014 and (b) what are the full details of the (i) number of schools in each year since 1 June 2014 and (ii) language of instruction in each specified school;
(4) whether she has found that her department had achieved its goal with regard to the number of schools built as planned for in line with the budget allocated for this purpose; if not, what are the detailed reasons why the target was not reached;
(5) whether the planned number of schools make adaquate provision for the demand in Gauteng; if not, what steps does her department intend to take in order to address the problem? NW4372E]
RESPONSE
(1) There are currently many single medium schools in the country and not only Afrikaans single medium schools. Many township and rural schools are still single medium schools. The challenge that the Department faces is not about the language offered in a school. It is about the capacity of the school where some of the single medium schools have many unused classes in highly populated cosmopolitan areas which can be gainfully used by learners in the same communities that have a different medium than the one provided for by the school. Currently a School Governing Body has the power to determine the language policy of the school while the Provincial Head of Department has the authority to determine the capacity of the school in terms of the court judgement. The two can be reconciled through the Basic Education Amendment Bill which is currently out for public comment.
(2) There is no intention by the Department to phase out single medium schools, inclusive of Afrikaans single medium schools. Instead, the Department has plans to promote the teaching of languages in all schools through the Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL). Afrikaans is one of the South African official languages and it is part of the IIAL initiative.
(a) and (b) There is no change in the Department’s policy position and my previous commitment in Parliament that Afrikaans single-medium schools had nothing to fear remains. Afrikaans and other official languages will continue to receive protection from the Department as long as there are learners who receive tution in the language, but the school facilities must be open to other language groups should the school building be under utilised. There are schools in this country that have up to six langauges offered in one school and would therefore not make educational sense for some schools to be overcrowded while others run empty because they are single medium schools, irrespective of the medium of instruction be it Afrikaans, Xitsonga or TshiVhenda.
(3)(4)(5) The information has been requested from the Department of Basic Education and will be provided as soon as it is received.
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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 3863
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/11/2017
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 43/2017
3863. Adv A de W Alberts (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) Whether the proposed amending Bill on schools aims to eradicate apartheid practices and the said amendment process is the beginning of the elimination of outdated education; if so, which apartheid practices will be dealt with and eradicated by the specified amending Bill according to her finding;
(2) whether public comments regarding the amending Bill will be taken into account and the amending Bill will therefore be adjusted in the light of such public participation; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) what are the relevant details of any further process that is envisaged to eradicate any outdated education? NW4370E
Reply
(1) It is not clear what apartheid practices the honourable member is referring to. As long ago as in 1996, when the South African Schools Act (SASA) was first promulgated, the preamble made it clear that SASA was being enacted –
because the achievement of democracy in South Africa had consigned to history the past system of education which had been based on racial inequality and segregation; and
because South Africa required a new national system for schools which would redress past injustices in educational provision, provide an education of progressively high quality for all learners …, advance the democratic transformation of society, [and] combat racism and sexism and all other forms of unfair discrimination and intolerance, … .
Be that as it may, let me quote from the Memorandum on the Objects of the Bill: "The Bill proposes to amend the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996), and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (Act No. 76 of 1998) (the SASA and the EEA, respectively), so as to align them with developments in the education landscape and to ensure that systems of learning and excellence in education are put in place in a manner which respects, protects, promotes and fulfils the right to basic education enshrined in section 29(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996."
"The Bill also seeks to amend the SASA and the EEA so as to make certain technical and substantive adjustments, to clarify certain existing provisions and to insert certain provisions to cover matters which are not provided for in the existing legislation."
(2) Yes, all the comments submitted by organisations, members of the public and education stakeholders in general will be considered, and those that have merit will be incorporated into the Bill.
It is worth noting that more than 5 000 emailed comments and reactions were received in response to the call for comments, together with 36 faxes, two thick couriered bundles of documents, and one thick hand-delivered bundle of documents. A document containing 98 635 names, most with short comments added, was also received.
(3) The Department of Basic Education is committed to reviewing its legislation, policies and guidelines as often as is necessary to ensure that they remain relevant and that they keep abreast of developments in education practice, technology and other relevant fields.
;
