The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) educational psychology class has been split into Afrikaans and English lectures following a clash between a lecturer and several students earlier this month.
On Saturday 20 April, the acting Dean, Professor Johan Malan, sent an email to all PGCE students, stating: “Contrary to our valued emphasis on inclusivity, we have decided to temporarily continue with the presentation of the module in a parallel-medium mode until the learning climate has been restored.”
Faculty of Education lecturer, Karlien Conradie’s class was suspended during the week of 15 to 19 April after Malan began an investigation into the matter.
The G.G. Cillié building, home to aspiring teachers. PHOTO: Aaliyah Davids
On Thursday 11 April, one of the students in the class, Nomonde Mngcongo, says Conradie ended her lecture with: “After I say this, I’m going to have to run.” Conradie then allegedly said that “in order to make a space inclusive, you do not have to take something out.”
Mngcongo then questioned whether Conradie was referring to the use of Afrikaans in the classroom, after which Conradie allegedly refused to elaborate further.
Another student, Lauren (who does not wish for her surname to be mentioned), says she felt Conradie’s statement had nothing to do with the lecture. “She said that with the intent of provoking, and not only provoking, but exerting her dominance over the class, because she then said, ‘At the end of the day, this is closed for discussion. I have to go somewhere.’”
Following Mngcongo’s response to Conradie, she (Mngcongo) was confronted by another student about her alleged disrespect toward the lecturer. After an exchange between the two students, Mngcongo wanted to leave the classroom.
Student Chante Manuel claims that this particular student physically prevented Mngcongo from leaving. Lauren says, “He actually kept her with his arm over her chest and he pushed her and said, ‘wait, you need to listen to me’”.
Bulelani Maputuma, another student, says the lecturer was there the whole time during this incident. “She saw the whole thing and didn’t intervene once,” says Maputuma.
Conradie had no comment to offer regarding Thursday’s events after having been approached by MatieMedia.
When questioned as to whether the language conflict has contributed to divisiveness within her classroom, Conradie said, “Perhaps, I don’t know.”
The following day there were more talks between Conradie and some of the students. Conradie started her Friday lecture by saying: “I don’t believe in racial integration. I believe in integration—human integration. I don’t believe in forcing these things. It is artificial.”
Four students decided to leave the classroom.
Manuel says she was shocked with Conradie’s comments on Friday. “Everyone said ‘wow’, because how can she say that?” said Manuel.
When asked by MatieMedia to elaborate on her statement, Conradie said “academically and theoretically grounded comments can be useful in stimulating deductive thinking and reflection concerning specific subject related principles or processes. In this case it was about identity development during adolescence, the process of socialisation and social identity.”
One of the students says he related to Conradie’s statement. “What Conradie meant was that you will always stick to your comfort zone but as soon as you gain the confidence you will start meeting people outside of it. Her main point though, was that we don’t choose friends because of the colour of their skin, we choose them because we ‘see’ them, we see the humanity in them, we share something with them.”
Listen to Karlien Conradie’s statement on racial integration during her Friday afternoon lecture here:
Despite reassurances, it has been more than a month since students have met with Professor Ronelle Carolissen, the Vice-Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty, and have yet to receive any feedback. Carolissen referred media enquiries regarding the latest events to the acting dean.
Tensions between the educational-psychology lecturer and PGCE students, as well as among the students themselves, have been growing steadily over the past three months. “The language issue in our class is not getting any better. It’s getting worse,” says Mngcongo. “And it’s not even the language issue. It’s moved past that,” says Mia*.
Not all students agree, with some annoyed at what they consider to be disruption to their learning. Michael* says that his main issue, besides disruption, is the fact that this could have been avoided. “Of course I see Conradie’s mistakes but she accommodated the students by only doing the summary in Afrikaans and then the rest you used your earphones. I really don’t understand what the issue actually is. It’s almost like the students have forgotten all the myriad of sources available to them,” he adds.
Another student, Ashley*, says: “I feel like it’s so unfair to us, who are their peers, you know… So many of my friends want to skip it but we force ourselves to come to the class … and then this particular group in class just wants to disrupt the class. They hate being provoked… I honestly feel like it is to prove a point.”
Read the article on the language dispute here.
The use of Afrikaans as a medium of teaching has brought up much debate and conflict within this class. But Conradie says all teaching and support in the module – even prior to complaints – has been done within the parameters of the university’s official language policy.
Michael finds the class disruptions selfish. “Around me, where I usually sit in class, are people from everywhere in South Africa. We all get along and have one goal, getting the degree,” he says.
*Names have been changed. These students wish to remain anonymous.
This article has been edited in order to present a more accurate and balanced account of the incident and the context surrounding it.