CAPE MOVES TO MAKE XHOSA COMPULSORY
Igsaan Salie

The Cape Argus & IOL Online (www.iol.co.za)
August 14 2005

The Western Cape education department will take the first steps towards making Xhosa compulsory in all schools across the province from the beginning of next year.

Education MEC Cameron Dugmore told Sunday Argus he was confident that an implementation plan would be in place by the end of October and the first schools would start teaching the language next year.

At a Language in Education Policy Summit this week, Dugmore said the move followed national minister Naledi Pandor's call for all pupils to study an indigenous language.

Dugmore said the implementation of the plan to make the language compulsory would be a slow process and the number of teachers would have to be increased.

Two key aspects would be investigated. Learners would be taught in their mother tongue and learn English from Grade R to six.

The second area sees an introduction of a third language in the curriculum probably during the senior phase of schooling which is grades seven to nine.

"For example Xhosa-speaking learners would have the option of learning Afrikaans and English-speaking learners would be able to learn Xhosa."

The issue of text books and reading material would also be addressed in the coming months, and he proposed creating "language lobby groups" by partnering with the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape in an attempt to create a big enough demand to interest publishers.

A task team would be formed at the end of the month to discuss the plan and Dugmore estimated that by December the province would adopt a language-in-education policy.

Xhosa teachers would be needed across the province and Dugmore said "direct engagement with tertiary education institutions will be crucial" to ensure that there would be employable Xhosa teachers available in the coming years.

Welcoming the announcement as "long overdue", Don Pasquallie of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union said unions and parents still needed to be consulted.

Paul Colditz, national chairperson of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools, expressed concern about making a specific language compulsory. He said learners should be given the choice of what language to study rather than a particular language be specified.

"By making a particular language compulsory we are moving back to 1976," Colditz said.