More, better, different? Understanding private higher education in South Africa : The private higher education landscape : Developing conceptual and empirical analysis

Abstract

Current debates about languages in education are fraught with controversy and opposing views, and real-world experience reveals huge gaps between idealistic theory and on-the-ground practice. It is important to examine this issue in the light of democracy and the declared need for consultation with all stakeholders, and to consider the needs of the learners in society as well as those of the educators. One particular area of contest and debate is the teaching of Xhosa, and the use of the mother tongue for instruction. This two-part article reports on a small-scale survey which was carried out in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province.43 The first of the two articles reports on questionnaire responses from the parents of 194 Xhosa-speaking children who had been sent to English-medium schools in Grahamstown. This survey included personal interviews with 26 of these parents, in which they elaborate on their views and experiences with regard to language issues. The second of the two articles reports on personal interviews which were conducted with the heads of these six English-medium schools concerning the issue of language in education and particularly the teaching of Xhosa in their schools.

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