De Lange, Jani Charlese
English: The changing political environment after 1994 brought about changes in education as well as mother tongue education. The biggest change in mother tongue education is the clause in the Constitution 108 of 1996, section 6, which stipulates that mother tongue education is merely an option and not a requirement like before. Further language legislation implemented after 1994 was: National Education Policy (nr. 27 of 1996), the South African Schools Act (nr. 84 of 1996) and the Language-in- Education Policy (1997). The main focus areas of the study are language planning, language policy and language management within education. These terms are closely tied together, and one of the primary goals surrounding these terms is to solve language problems. Various other facets in language policy and language planning as discipline form the framework for the study: the process of language planning from initiation through to implementation, management agents (central government, provincial government, external and internal agents) who are to be found in the education system, as well as external factors in the process that can influence the choice of education medium. The goals of the study are to determine which of the schools in the Xhariep, which are mainly Afrikaans and seSotho, changed their language of education policies after 1994, which process was followed in order to do this, who the agents were who participated in the changes, and which factors led to the changes as well as the choice of language of education. The study utilises a historical approach. Due to the gaps in documentation, the data is dependent on interviews. Printed media was also utilised as a source of information in order to support the information of the intervlews. The South African context was discussed within the framework of the literature, due to the fact that the history of the country influenced the Xhariep's schools choices regarding language policy. The data indicated that the governing body did not make the overhead decisions, even though this is indicated on paper. A specific process of language planning was not followed and a policy was compiled according to the criteria of the Department of Education. The approval of the policy was dependent on the community before it was sent to the Department of Education. In addition to history being a factor, politics also contributed to the changes that took place in the Xhariep schools. The printed media indicated that two towns had resorted to violence and boycotts, due to the fact that the English medium school wanted to make use of some of the Afrikaans medium school's buildings. With the changing context in mind, the Afrikaans community feared that their children would not receive a good education and consequently sent their children to schools in nearby towns or cities. This left the Afrikaans medium schools in the district almost without any learners, which is an indication that the changes also took place due to demographics. There are various correspondences between the literature and the data, but the study also indicated that it is difficult to create a framework and expect that each school's situation can be studied and explained by means of this framework. Language policy and language planning have many facets, and consequently the disciplines in education need to be approached in the same way.
Afrikaans: Die veranderende politieke omgewing na 1994 het veranderinge in die onderwys en so ook moedertaalonderrig teweeggebring. Die grootste verandering in moedertaalonderrig is die klousule in die Grondwet 108 van 1996, seksie 6, wat stipuleer dat moedertaalonderrig slegs 'n opsie is en nie meer 'n vereiste soos voorheen nie. Ander taalwetgewing is na 1994 as amptelik verklaar, bv. Nasionale Onderwysbeleid (No 27 van 1996), die Suid-Afrikaanse skolewet (no. 84 van 1996) en die Taal-in-Onderwysbeleid (1997). Die dominante fokus van die studie is taalbeplanning, taalbeleid en taalbestuur binne die onderwys. Hierdie terme is verwant aan mekaar en een van die primêre doelwitte rondom hierdie terme is om taalprobleme op te los. Verskeie ander fasette in taalbeleid en taalbeplanning as dissipline vorm die raamwerk vir die studie: die proses van taalbeplanning vanaf aanvang tot implementering, bestuursagente (sentrale regering, provinsiale regering, eksterne en interne agente) wat in die onderwysstelsel voorkom, asook eksterne faktore in die proses wat die keuse tot onderrigmedium kan beïnvloed. Die doelwitte vir die studie is om vas te stel watter van die skole in die Xhariep, wat oorheersend Afrikaans en Sotho is, na 1994 die skool se onderrigmedium verander het, watter proses gevolg is, wie die agente in die gebeure was en watter faktore tot die verandering bygedra asook die keuse van die onderrigmedium beïnvloed het. Die studie maak gebruik van 'n historiese benadering. As gevolg van die gapings in die dokumentasie, is die data veral van onderhoude afhanklik. Gedrukte media is ook as bron ingetrek om die inligting in die onderhoude te evalueer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks is teen die agtergrond vanuit die literatuur bespreek, aangesien die geskiedenis van die land die Xhariep se skole se keuses rondom taalbeleid beïnvloed het. Die data het aangetoon dat die beheerliggaam nie die oorhoofse besluite neem nie en is dit net op papier as sulks aangedui. 'n Spesifieke proses van taalbeplanning is nie gevolg nie en 'n beleid is volgens die kriteria van die Onderwysdepartement opgestel. Die goedkeuring van die beleid het wel van die gemeenskap afgehang voordat dit na die Onderwysdepartement deurgestuur is. Saam met geskiedenis as faktor, het politiek bygedra tot die verandering in die Xhariep se skole. Die gedrukte media toon dat twee dorpe tot geweld en boikotte gedryf is omdat die Engelsmediumskool sommige van die Afrikaansemediumskool se geboue wou beset. 'n Faktor wat meer onderliggend voorkom is ideologie. Binne die veranderende konteks het die Afrikaanse gemeenskap gevrees dat hulle kinders nie meer 'n goeie onderrig salontvang nie en het gevolglik hulle kinders na nabye dorpe of stede gestuur. Dit het veroorsaak dat die Afrikaansemediumskole in die platteland amper sonder leerders was en dit duidelik gemaak het dat die veranderinge ook as gevolg van demografie plaasgevind het. Daar is verskeie ooreenkomste tussen die literatuur en die data, maar die studie het ook getoon dat dit moeilik is om 'n raamwerk te skep en te verwag dat elke skolesituasie perfek hierdeur bestudeer en verduidelik kan word. Taalbeleid en taalbeplanning het baie fasette, en gevolglik moet die dissipline in die onderwys met dieselfde benadering gevolg word.