AfriForum goes to court over Unisa language policy
Civil rights organisation
AfriForum says it will on Tuesday launch an urgent application in the Pretoria
High Court to prevent Unisa from implementing its new language policy.
In April, the Unisa Council adopted a new language policy with English as the new medium of instruction.
The policy is to be adopted in 2017.
AfriForum's deputy CEO Alana Bailey says Unisa is the only tertiary option for many Afrikaans speaking people.
"The university has a unique student corps. There are many registered students who only later in life started studying under difficult personal and financial circumstances. Some of them live in rural areas or even outside South Africa and work fulltime. The other universities in the country thus offer them no opportunities to study. This is exactly why it is crucially necessary to protect their language rights," she argues.
The University of the Free State has confirmed it will appeal a High Court ruling to stop a proposed change to its current language policy.
UFS earlier this year decided to make English the primary medium of instruction at three of its campuses.
Bailey says AfriForum will oppose the appeal.
Edited by Laila Majiet