Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
French couple still on the run | The New Age Online
The Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) is considering legal action against the Central University of Technology after a complaint from one of its students in a case that touches on language rights.
Pansalb provincial manager Vuzi Ntlakana said the board received a complaint from a deaf student who was accepted to study at the university, which could not provide a qualified sign language interpreter.
“The student’s friend had to interpret for him. After several talks with the university to address the problem, we are deadlocked,” Ntlakana said. The board was now contemplating approaching the courts.
Verna Vorster, a teacher with 21 years’ experience teaching deaf pupils, said this was not surprising because it was difficult to find registered interpreters.
“Even when you are a registered interpreter, and you have no knowledge about a certain subject, it could still be a problem,” she said.
Ntlakana said the language board had even offered to help the institution find a qualified interpreter, but the university would not accept that there was anything amiss.
Ntlakana said the University of the Free State was prepared to provide a qualified interpreter to the institution, free of charge. Ntlakana said the board had now handed the case over to its legal department for advice.
Vorster said one of her students studied at Motheo College. While staff helped where they could, no one could sign off art history for him. As a result, he still needed to do that one subject before he could qualify as a teacher.
Vorster said years ago higher eduction institutions would not even think of accepting deaf kids, but that things were now different. The university did not respond to The New Age’s enquiry.
The Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) is considering legal action against the Central University of Technology after a complaint from one of its students in a case that touches on language rights.
Pansalb provincial manager Vuzi Ntlakana said the board received a complaint from a deaf student who was accepted to study at the university, which could not provide a qualified sign language interpreter.
“The student’s friend had to interpret for him. After several talks with the university to address the problem, we are deadlocked,” Ntlakana said. The board was now contemplating approaching the courts.
Verna Vorster, a teacher with 21 years’ experience teaching deaf pupils, said this was not surprising because it was difficult to find registered interpreters.
“Even when you are a registered interpreter, and you have no knowledge about a certain subject, it could still be a problem,” she said.
Ntlakana said the language board had even offered to help the institution find a qualified interpreter, but the university would not accept that there was anything amiss.
Ntlakana said the University of the Free State was prepared to provide a qualified interpreter to the institution, free of charge. Ntlakana said the board had now handed the case over to its legal department for advice.
Vorster said one of her students studied at Motheo College. While staff helped where they could, no one could sign off art history for him. As a result, he still needed to do that one subject before he could qualify as a teacher.
Vorster said years ago higher eduction institutions would not even think of accepting deaf kids, but that things were now different. The university did not respond to The New Age’s enquiry.