'n Ondersoek na die onderwys van immigrantekinders in 'n nywerheidsgroeipunt van die R.S.A.

[摘要] 1. Introduction - This is a brief account of the education of immigrants atschools within an industrial growth point in the R.S.A. Itcomprises problems encountered in schools locally, the education of immigrants in foreign countries generally andpossible improvements in the education of immigrant childrenin the area researched.2. Orientation and motivation - Since the establishment of the Department of Immigration in1961 the ever increasing numbers of immigrants entering ourschools have created various educational problems. Consequently requests for research into these problems were madeto the Minister of National Education. The purpose of thisstudy is to give an objective, systematic description of thedidactic-pedagogic situation within 31 schools at which immigrants are enrolled. The areas concerned are the iron andsteel, and petrochemical industrial areas of the Transvaaland the Orange Free State.This study was undertaken during 1971 - 72, referring backto 1961, and includes a universum of 17 608 children of whom2 022 are immigrants. A sample of 300 •immigrants and a control group of 300 South Africans were taken from 17 schools.Further information was gained from official and non-officialdocuments, interviews and direct observation. Research wasdone in the countries of origin Israel, the Federal Republic of Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands,England, the U.S.A. and Canada.Immigrant children are defined as follows for the purposes ofthis inquiry:Definition for statistical purposes: An immigrant child is achild of foreign parents who have legally immigrated into theR.S.A. intending to settle permanently and who qualify, oreventually may qualify for South African citizenship throughnaturalisation, or who have already obtained South Africancitizenship during the lifetime of the child.Definition for language teaching purposes: An immigrant whorequires language instruction is:(1) a child whose mother tongue is English but who has noknowledge of Afrikaans as a second language;(2) a child whose mother tongue is neither Afrikaans norEnglish and who has no knowledge of either Afrikaans orEnglish as a second language;(3) a child whose mother tongue is neither Afrikaans norEnglish but who has a knowledge of Afrikaans or Englishas a second language.These children are a potential source of linguistic problemsin schools.If knowledge of the medium of instruction is taken as a criterion immigrants can be further defined as follows for thepurpose of language teaching:An immigrant is a child who cannot read, write or speak themedium of instruction or the second language. Consequentlythis child becomes a potential source of linguistic problemsin the medium of instruction and the second language.3. Immigration in the R.S.A. - A survey of immigration in the R.S.A. is essential as it determines the extent of provision required for the education of immigrant pupils. Education is a most appropriate means of promoting successful integration. It can however be applied as aconservation mechanism for retaining the culture of the nativeland. The history of immigration in South Africa illustratesthat education can bring about cultural changes. Where a policyof dispersal was followed as in the case of the French Huguenotsthey became integrated with the majority of the European populationand education brought cultural changes. Many British andGerman settlers however retained their identity throughgroup settlement and education in their national culture.Today immigration is necessary. European labour is requiredif an economic growth rate of 5 1/2% is to be maintained. Itis also required for demographic, social and cultural reasons.The Department of Immigration was established in 1961 to promote immigration. This Department has delegated the functionof immigrant integration to State subsidised private organizations, as well as the Department of National Education andthe Provincial Education Departments. The influx of 40 000immigrants from various European and other countries yields7 000 immigrant pupils annually. For socio-economic reasonsimmigrants tend to settle at industrial growth points, wherethis pattern of settlement influences education.4. The education of immigrant children at an industrialgrowth point in the R.S.A. - Most immigrants within the specified terrain come from theover-populated heavy iron and steel industrial areas orimpoverished agricultural areas of central and southernEurope and the United Kingdom. Refugees from eastern Europealso immigrate. For purposes of this research the immigrantsare classified into three groups according to 1 the languageof their country of origin, viz. English 34%, Continental Germanic28% and Diverse 38%.According to the medium of instruction the language ratio ofAfrikaans to English is 7 : 1 in the Transvaal schools, 9 : 1in the schools of the O.F.S. and 9 : 1 in the research area.All the English speaking immigrants are compelled to take instruction through the medium of English as English is theirhome language. Parents of immigrant children who have noknowledge of either English or Afrikaans choose the medium ofinstruction artificially for their children. This resultsin English being the language of choice of 97% of the Diverseand 45% of the Continental-Germanic immigrants. Afrikaansis the medium of instruction for the rest of the children.Thus Afrikaans is the medium of instruction for 19% andEnglish the medium of instruction for 81% of the universumof immigrants. The reasons for preference of English cannot always be accounted for educationally. According to theirmedium of instruction the immigrant children are distributedin the public, private and nursery schools of the researcharea so that the number of immigrants in English mediumschools is > 40%, in parallel medium schools 5 to 15% andin Afrikaans medium schools < 5%.Provision is made for concessions regarding the promotion ofpupils and allocation of staff to schools with immigrant pupils. Owing to the large numbers of immigrants in Englishmedium schools, special staff have been appointed mainly toEnglish medium schools. Special teachers for immigrants havenot been trained as such. The extra staff is responsible forextra language classes and special immigrant classes. Thenormal staff undertakes the teaching of immigrants in regularclasses as many immigrants are also placed directly intoclasses to follow the regular curriculum.5. Problems in the education of immigrant children - The dynamic problem in the education of immigrants is thatthey are strange to the education in the research area. Thesocio-cultural aim of education in the R.S.A. is to educatethe child within the framework of the national culture. Thebasic requirement for this is a national milieu and continuityof education. The problem is that since 1961 the continuity ofeducation has been impaired as a result of the ever increasingnumber of immigrant children who are unevenly distributed.Their alienation varies in the didactic-pedagogic situationaccording to the extent of their exposure to the cultures oftheir native land and that of South Africa. Consequentlyvarious degrees of alienation are distinguishable in immigrantpupils. With increasing age man loses the ability to becomeproficient in new languages and absorb different cultures,consequently change is progressively resisted. Educationalcontinuity is of vast importance, the disturbance of whichcreates a problem as in the case of immigrants. The degreeof alienation also varies according to age, length of stay,choice of medium of instruction, cultural deprivation, thevolume and heterogeneity of immigrants, genetic strangeness,religious divergence, distribution or concentration of immigrants and the attitude of South Africans.Language and communication is ab initio the immigrants' problem as language is the medium of instruction. Althoughthought and language originate separately, language is thevehicle of thought. The development of language is determinedby the degree to which the child is understood. Consequentlyexposure to language is essential. Education through themedium of one of the official languages is essential in, introducing the child to the national culture. Because languagemedium is a prerequisite for dynamic educational progress,immigrant children in the process of learning should neverstagnate while acquiring language proficiency. Immigrantsexperience a problem in that their oral means of communication is no longer effective after immigration, because theirinner language and thoughts are still in their mother tongue.Hence their scholastic standard often exceeds their abilityof expression in the new medium of instruction. Many immigrants who appear dumb have been affected by the break inthe continuity of their education. Immigrants also oftenexperience pronunciation problems and language confusion.Immigrant children are also expected to master both officiallanguages concurrently. The accumulation of immigrants inEnglish medium schools however leads to the formation ofcommon language groups. Private mother tongue education andghetto formation restrict physical and functional languagecontact with South Africans, which are essentials for educational adaptation.Attainment by immigrant children in the New South AfricanGroup Tests is mainly determined by their knowledge of themedium of instruction and of the South African culture. Thereappears to be a positive correlation between the immigrants'intelligence on the one hand and their language developmentand degree of exposure to the South African culture in thecourse of time on the other hand. It is noteworthy that thetest achievements of Continental-Germanic children show agreater degree of improvement than those of the English andDiverse immigrant children. A probable explanation for thisphenomenon is that the Continental-Germanic children adaptthemselves sooner and better to the South African culturethan the English and Diverse groups. Similar results wereobtained in England and the U.S.A. Children from southernEuropean countries appear to have inferior educational potential. However intelligence tests are not culture free.The apparent inability of the Diverse immigrant children toacquire South African culture may also partially be due to alack of exposure to the South African culture because of theiraccumulation in English medium schools, ghetto formation andgroup isolation.Compulsory education in the R.S.A. differs from that of thecountries of origin and this 90ntributes towards the immigrant children's divergence regarding scholastic niveau andschool age.Immigrant children are unevenly distributed in schools in theresearch area. The ratio of immigrant children to SouthAfricans is 1 : 35 and 1 : 45 in Afrikaans medium primaryand secondary schools and 1 : 1 in English medium schools.According to this ratio immigrant children disappear inAfrikaans medium schools while they are a threat to the identity of English medium schools. In English medium schools98% of the immigrant children in primary schools are concentrated in the junior primary phase.Where the ratio of immigrants to South Africans exceed 1 : 3it limits the exposure of both immigrants and South Africansto the South African culture. This tendency promotes displacement of South African children. Unequal distributionalso occurs in courses where the Diverse children tend toconcentrate in the Std. VIII course and adaptation classes.Ethnic groups show a tendency to concentrate in schools,e.g. 62% of all Portuguese concentrate in one school. Causesof unequal distribution include preference of English as themedium of instruction, religion, ethnicentrism and culturalconflict, the settlement pattern of immigrants and displacement of the receiving society by aggressive immigration.Analysis of the population statistics of English medium schoolsin which immigrants concentrate indicates that displacement ofSouth African pupils occurs when immigrants exceed 20% of theschool population and when the ratio of South African to immigrant children becomes > 1 : 3. Notwithstanding the fact thatless than 5% immigrants are found in the neighbouring Afrikaans medium schools, the enrolment in these schools shows aregressive tendency because Afrikaans children are displacedfrom the natural school zone because of immigrant group settlement. Consequently the enrolment in Afrikaans medium schoolshas had to be artificially supplemented by rezoning and busing.The consistent incidence of immigrants of a specific nationalityleads to the establishment of their own private schools as adefensive measure in retaining their national culture.Academic achievements of immigrants show that they meet withmore success in parallel medium schools, that the Continental-Germanicchildren achieve better results and that the greatesterosion takes place among Diverse immigrants. English immigrantchildren are poorly motivated. Academic achievements of immigrant children are positively related to vocabulary, length ofdomicile and adjustment. Language deficiency must be taken intoconsideration for promotion purposes for two to three yearsafter immigration. Matriculation concessions have to be retained for Diverse children but not for English and Continental-Germanic children Cultural deprivation, irregular schoolattendance and poor motivation also result in poor achievement.There is a lack of suitable teaching methods, syllabi andteaching aids. Teachers have not received the necessarytraining for immigrant or cross-cultural education. Parentsare not involved enough in the education of their children.6. Education of immigrants elsewhere - Inter- and intra-continental migration causes thousands ofimmigrant children to attend schools in foreign countries.Excellent measures are taken for the elimination of immigrantalienation and for the conservation of the national characterof education, religion, language and the autochthonous population in schools. Intensive research preceded these measuresand the statistics of immigration were taken into considerationin the planning of education.The majority of immigrant countries have formulated policieswhich provide for inter alia the dispersal of immigrants limitingthem to 20% per school, 5% per nationality per school and fourto five per class. The necessary consideration is given to thereligion of immigrants, but dispersal and education are regardedas sufficient safeguard for native mores, religion and culture.Immigrants are compelled to master the medium of instruction asa prerequisite for cultural integration. The official mediumof instruction is compulsory in order to prevent the formationof foreign language groups. Immigrants are exempted from thesecond language and allowed to study their mother tongue as asubject. In cases where a foreign language is taken, the consolidation of the medium of instruction receives priority.Although private schools exist they are not regarded as desirablebecause of their curbing effect on integration.The grouping of immigrants in classes depends on their varyingdegrees of alienation and on how soon the continuity of educationcan be restored. Pre-school immigrant children attend nurseryschools in order to promote mastery of the-medium of instruction.Reception centres are provided from where immigrants are directedto schools. Dispersal in ordinary classes9 flexible integration,promotion classes, intensive term and year classes are utilized.Adolescents are required to comply with the regulations regardingcompulsory education in order to promote their social, culturaland economic integration. Remedial education is provided andteaching content adjusted and optimally utilized for transculturalteaching.Special methods of language teaching, for instance the audio-linguistic method - based on words and structures with thehighest use frequency - are used to enable the immigrant pupilsto master a functional vocabulary quickly. Various teachingaids are used, e.g. creation of realistic conditions in teaching,holiday projects and various audio-visual aids.Specially trained supernumerary teaching staff are appointed.Immigrant parents are also taught the new language in order topromote their economic value but also with a view to culturalintegration. A marked deficiency in the education of immigrantpupils is encountered in countries where no research has beendone on education of immigrants. In such countries the alienation of immigrant children is emphasised and prolonged by theirisolation in Ubergangklasse and accumulation in ordinary classes.7. Possible solutions to the problems in the education ofimmigrant children in the research area - In order to evaluate the education of immigrant pupils in theresearch area, criteria were formulated with due regard to thedeficiencies of education in the research area, historical aspects of immigrant education and successful measures that havebeen taken abroad. Local immigrant teaching was subsequentlyevaluated by application of the formulated criteria, hencedeficiencies and excellencies in local measures were revealed.The following proposals for the improvement of immigranteducation in the research area were deduced:7.1. Education and immigration should be co-ordinated for theSouth Africanizing of immigrant children and for theprotection of the national character of education andnational identity. This demands co-ordination concerningthe extent of provision of education for immigrant childrenand the nature and extent of immigration.(a) Research should be done immediately concerningthefactors underlying the alienation of immigrants andthe factors determining the national character ofeducation.(b) National education policy demands education with abroad national character. This implies eliminationof alienation amongst immigrants and cultural integration with a view to ultimate citizenship. Onthe other hand it implies the protection of the national identity and the national character of education. South Africanization contains an inherentdualism rooted in the division of Whites into Englishspeaking and Afrikaans speaking groups. For the purposes of this thesis South Africanization means identification with either the Afrikaans or English sectionof the community.(c) Protection of the national character demands that thevolume and origin of immigrants should be controlledand that the assimilability o:f prospective immigrantsshould be carefully considered. Immigrants should belimited to 20% per school, four to five per class and5% per nationality per school.Immigrants should attend the schools in the immediatevicinity of their homes. Zoning should be statisticallyplanned to prevent excessive concentration of immigrantsin certain schools, and in order to promote fraternizationof immigrants with South African children guardian pupils•should be appointed.7.2. Immigrant education should retain the Protestant heritagein South African education. Immigration should be limitedwhen the prospective immigrants are of the Roman Catholicor Greek Orthodox faiths. Immigrants with permissive inclinations should be discouraged. Both immigrants and SouthAfricans should receive guidance regarding clause 2(a) ofAct no. 39 of 1967 in order to promote peaceful co-existence.7.3. Immigrant education should preserve the traditional languagerelationship of the outochthonous European population. Thisentails reasonable limitation of the quota of English speakingimmigrants.Immigrants should be carefully dispersed in order to maintaina ratio of English to Afrikaans pupils of 1 : 9 in the research area and schools of the O.F.S., and 3 : 7 in schoolsof the Transvaal. Continental-Germanic children should becanalized into the Afrikaans medium schools as Afrikaansis closely related to their language of origin. Diverseimmigrants with no proficiency in English should also beenrolled in Afrikaans medium schools. Under no circumstances should State subsidies be available for privatemother tongue schools.7.4. Immigrant education should aim at proficiency in thesecond language only after knowledge of the medium ofinstruction has been consolidated. Immigrant pupilsalready fluent in the medium of instruction should receiveintensive instruction in the second official language.7.5. Education in public schools should be fully utilized forensuring ultimate citizenship. Hence immigrants shouldattend only free public schools. Immigrants may receiveinstruction in their home language at the discretion ofthe principal where this is justified by enrolment. Immigrants should also be allowed to study their home languageas a third language, and matriculation subject.7.6. Immigrant pupils including adolescents should comply withthe current regulations concerning compulsory education andattend school regularly. Transference of immigrant pupilsto lower classes due to language deficiency should be prohibited and immigrants should be compelled to undergoreasonable military training.7.7. The necessary educational guidance should be provided onadmission and primary emphasis should be placed on the mastering of the medium of instruction.7.8. Pre-primary education should be available for the preschoolimmigrant children not proficient in the medium ofinstruction. State aided and industrial nursery schoolsas well as créches should be provided.7.9. Reception centres should be provided to obtain the maximuminformation regarding the potential and the scholasticbackground of immigrant pupils, and to direct them tospecific schools.7.10. Immigrant pupils should be placed in ordinary classes assoon as possible and pupils not proficient in either themedium of instruction or the second language should receive intensive tuition in the relevant language in speciallanguage classes. Those unacquainted with both officiallanguages should be flexibly integrated.7.11. Older immigrant pupils unacquainted with the medium ofinstruction and experiencing integration problems or thosewho are forced to master the medium of instruction in avery limited period before leaving school, should receiveintensive language teaching in a term, trimester or yearclass.7.12. In exceptional cases where the standard of education of immigrant pupils is markedly below that of their peers, specialrecovery classes of up to a year's duration should be provided. It is also advisable to admit all immigrant; pupilswho are over the age of 13 and who have not yet passed Std.5 to the Practical Course and to apply flexible integrationin their cases.7.13. Suitable provision should be made for remedial teaching ofimmigrant pupils.7.14. Vacation schools in rural areas, hostels and open airschools should be utilized to South Africanize immigrantpupils and South African pupils should receive guidancein order to equip them to promote integration of immigrantpupils.7.15. Subject matter should also be chosen keeping in mind theSouth Africanization, integration and acquisition of SouthAfrican culture of immigrant pupils.7.16. Immigrant pupils' knowledge of the medium of instructionshould be taken into consideration in their evaluation.7.17. The intensive language teaching should concentrate on thequick mastery of a high frequency, functional vocabulary.Audio-visual aids as well as the visual lingual methodshould be fully utilized.7.18. The enrolment of pupils should be taken into considerationfor staffing purposes. Where the number of immigrant pupilsdoes not justify the appointment of a supernumerary teacher,immigrants should be grouped together in a centrally locatedschool until the numbers are sufficient. Provision shouldbe made for a language advisor and suitable staff at thereception centre.7.19. Immigrant parents should be involved in the education oftheir children and master the language of instruction.

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