After parents in Klapmuts closed the gates of two schools in an effort to get answers, the provincial education department says if the learner numbers justify it, the district supports English as the teaching language at Klapmuts High School.
Last week parents and community members gathered at the two adjacent schools’ gates after Grade 5 learners of Klapmuts Hill Primary were informed the language of learning and teaching has been changed to Afrikaans.
Disgruntled parents demanded answers from the school while parents of high school learners also made their unhappiness known, as the language of learning and teaching had already been changed from English to Afrikaans.
Parent Nonkosi Nini says her Grade 11 child was one of the learners who was told that mathematics and physical sciences are no longer on offer. She says learners were told everyone is doing tourism now.
“These kind of decisions can’t just be made without our input. Having these subjects and getting taught in English allow our children more opportunities for their future,” she adds.
According to departmental spokesperson Bronagh Hammond, the language policy of a school is determined by the school’s governing body. “At Klapmuts High School, learner numbers justify Afrikaans home language, isiXhosa home language and Afrikaans first additional language. In one or two classes at Grade 10 level, subject teaching occurs in dual medium based on learner numbers. At Klapmuts Hill Primary, due to the enrolment and to accommodate the community needs, the school offers three
languages of learning and teaching, namely, English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa home language,” Hammond explains. Klapmuts Hill Primary is the only school that offers English home language in the community.
Parents of the Grade 5 learners say a letter simply informed them that Afrikaans will now be the language of teaching and learning.
Their understanding, according to the letter, was that as the Grade 5 teacher’s contract came to an end, teaching in English left with her.
However, Hammond says this is not the case. “The question of English was not based on the availability of English teachers, but on learner numbers,” she explains. As learner numbers and the predominant language proficiency are factors in deciding a school’s learning and teaching language, if the high schools numbers can justify it, English can be reinstated as the learning and teaching language.
Hammond confirms the principal has been in talks with departmental officials. With English learners of Klapmuts Hill soon heading to a neighbouring school, the high school must put measures in place to accommodate these learners when the Grade 7 cohort arrives in 2027.
