adminDurban – Firebrand academic Professor Jonathan Jansen says it is pointless introducing Mandarin in South African schools, when they cannot teach local languages.
The vice-chancellor and rector of the University of the Free State pulled no punches during a speech in Durban on Wednesday, saying the state’s declared intention to offer Mandarin at South African schools was nothing more than “political gat kruiping” (brown nosing).
Jansen told the assembled academics that they were “training barbarians who are racist and sexist”.
He said until the country got the basics right, making the system “fancy”, by introducing tablets into classrooms, for example, would not work.
Jansen was addressing the AGM of the KZN Central Applications Office, which was attended by leaders from the province’s four universities and a number of private colleges.
“I don’t see the need for introducing Mandarin when we can’t seem to teach English, Afrikaans and Zulu first properly. Bringing in Mandarin is political gat kruiping,” he said.
While falling short of calling for a complete overhaul of the education system, Jansen said educationists had allowed “failure to become the new norm”.
Known for his bluntness and dislike of political correctness, he said one university in the province “continued to dish out a type of Bantu education”. — Sapa.
Online Reporter