4.2 Schools AfriForum regularly rec eives c omplaints from c ommunities in whic h sc hools are subjec ted to politic ally motivated demands to c hange their language polic y. Of the approximately 1 400 single-medium Afrikaans former Model C sc hools, fewer than half (667) were able to retain their language polic y after this kind of politic al pressure was brought to bear on them. This happened despite the provisions of sec tion 29 of the Constitution whic h rec ognises single-medium sc hools as an option. In Gauteng, to name but one provinc e, a further 33 Afrikaans sc hools are at present being subjec ted to improper politic al pressure to c hange their language polic y by offic ials of the Department of Basic Educ ation who seem to be abusing their power. Although sc hool governing bodies have the right, in terms of the South Afric an Sc hools Ac t, to c hoose their respec tive sc hools' language polic y, princ ipals have been ordered by educ ation offic ials to c hange their language polic ies. When this does not happen, the princ ipals are threatened with disc iplinary steps. In a town c alled Foc hville all three of the Afrikaans sc hools were forc ed to c hange their language polic y, although c hildren who wanted to have an English first language educ ation c ould have been ac c ommodated in one of these sc hools only. This kind of language pressure on sc hools has in several c ases already resulted in Afrikaans being c ompletely phased out as the medium of instruc tion; the former Afrikaans sc hools are now single-medium English sc hools. AfriForum is therefore paying the legal fees of one of the sc hools in Foc hville whose governing body would like to oppose the matter in c ourt. Promises by the Department of Educ ation that additional resourc es will be provided to sc hools that c hange to a parallel-medium system usually also end up being broken. 4.3 Tertiary education Afrikaans is under serious threat at this level too. Afrikaans no longer serves as the medium of instruc tion at the former tec hnic al c olleges and is experienc ing a great deal of pressure at universities whose language of instruc tion used to be Afrikaans. At the University of Pretoria only an estimated 35% of the modules are still available in Afrikaans, while the language is also in the line of fire at the University of Stellenbosc h (US). Rec ommendations have been made at the US to have the primary language of c ommunic ation at the Fac ulty of Health Sc ienc es to be wholly in English, inc luding at the Tygerberg Hospital where students undergo their prac tic al training. This is the c ase even though Afrikaans is the home language of 60% of people living in the Western Cape. The residential plac ing system whic h is being proposed at the US right now entails that a maximum of 45% Afrikaans students be allowed per , AfriForum 5 www.afriforum.co.za