Oprah girls quit over Afrikaans

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edc

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http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2109367,00.html
Johannesburg - Two Afrikaans-speakers have not returned to Oprah Winfrey's up-market school for girls after the holidays, apparently because of cultural differences and bullying.

The parents of the two friends, Michelle Conradie and Gwenneth Mans, don't want to talk about it.

But Rapport newspaper has heard that the talk show queen on occasion phoned from the United States to tell Michelle's mother, Amanda Conradie, that her daughter was being "victimised".

Michelle and Gwenneth have been sitting at home for the past fortnight, while their former classmates returned to the posh Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.

'Not allowed to speak Afrikaans'

Frances Mans, Gwenneth's foster mother, confirmed that her daughter was at home, but said "I don't want to talk about it" and put down the phone.

Conradie did not answer calls to her phone.

Rapport's information is that life at the school with its six healthy meals a day, modern classrooms and fancy bedrooms had just become too much for the girls.

A source said: "For instance, they're not allowed to speak Afrikaans to each other, even though it's their home language.

"If they're caught, certain privileges are taken away. It's ridiculous. The school's system doesn't work for everyone."

Mans is looking for another school for her daughter.

The school management is tight-lipped about it all.

Academy manager John Samuels said: "I cannot comment."

When asked if they were attending to the problem, he responded "What problem? How can we attend to a problem if there isn't one?"

The school was in the news a month ago when parents said they wanted to visit their daughters more often than the prescribed once a month.

Samuels said at the time that it was "in the girls' best interests".

There was also a report in February that a girl was told to leave because she had contracted an illness.

Most pupils 'very happy'

However, there also are positive reports from the pupils.

Colleen Jefferies, aunt of Taryn-Leigh, says there aren't any problems that they know about.

"In her three months there, Taryn has become such an adult, it's unbelievable. She's very happy at the school."

Oprah's academy cost her a cool R268m, and she herself selected the 152 less-privileged pupils to attend it.
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The school seems a bit dodgy.
 
edc said:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2109367,00.html


The school seems a bit dodgy.
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Six meals a day? They're fattening them up for a sacrifice to the devil?

Seriously....

Afrikaans is an official language in this country. Its unconstitutional to deny anyone the right to use their home language. Secondly even if it wasn't a constitutionally protected language, these kids' human rights were breached
too. Outside of the classroom they should be allowed to use any language
if the language of tuition is a different one. This reminds me of that Aboriginal Australian movie, where the Aussies used to seperate Aboriginal children from their families and torture them when the kids spoke their own language,
sort of re-program them in the white Australian way. Rabbit-Fence?
What was it?
 
Sounds dodgy yeah. How can they set a limit to visitation from parents "the prescribed once a month" . <--- lol


I won't say i was one to break rules at school, but if rules was that strict... i'll tell them to shove it. I mean, they are gonna attend that school for at least a few year 5years(if its high school only), If its from grade 1-12 then 12 years. How can they seriously think people aren't gonna talk in their home language wich in SA could be any of the Official 11 languages.
 
This is starting to get to me, since when can you start a sentance with "but". News24's articles are getting worse and worse.
 
Homeschooling is the best option left to parents. Seriously.
 
neio said:
Homeschooling is the best option left to parents. Seriously.
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No. Kids don't learn the social skills in a home school they need to learn in a real school environment. They don't learn to compete either. I was in a home school in a foreign country. It was 5 yrs of my life wasted. I did not go to school for 5 yrs and did not learn anything. Grade 4 to 9 was effectively skipped. As bad as a real school is, home school is much more damaging.
 
edc said:
ag shush it.
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This is quite an irresponsible report based on speculation that they admit they couldn't collaborate. As such it is true that their political agenda is apparent to all but those whose racially skewed interests they serves such as you EDC. I guess from my statement you can guess how I would classify you.:D
 
Rooinek said:
This is quite an irresponsible report based on speculation that they admit they couldn't collaborate.
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That would be 'corroborate', and I tend to agree with the view that if this is the most pressing issue at the school then there is no real problem.
My question is only which official languages are allowed to be uttered at the school or is just Afrikaans being singled out?
 
Sneeky said:
That would be 'corroborate', and I tend to agree with the view that if this is the most pressing issue at the school then there is no real problem.
My question is only which official languages are allowed to be uttered at the school or is just Afrikaans being singled out?
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Thanks for the correction. Afrikaans is one of the official languages of this country, I doubt if anyone will be singled-out for using it. However, If I use my sotho or afrikaans to insult or make derogatory remarks about someone because they cannot hear me, then I should be censored. This is just speculation on my part. Until they "corroborate" the story I wouldn't know.

In any case, this school is far much better than the ones some of us attended, why are some newspapers intend on highlighting some of the smaller issues or growing pains the school is facing?
 
I cant remember the amount of times I got a hiding for not speaking afrikaans hen required at school. Its not because I didnt like the language, its just I wasnt the most attentive student in any language lesson.

If this girl is complaining about this.. I guess she just doesnt know what a good thing is. I dont really feel sorry for her... I can still feel those hidings... times a change. Though Sneeky does have a point, and as far as I know the ban includes all other languages.
 
I walked through the front gate about 2 months ago before their guards even thought to stop me. I got a laugh out of the place. :D

Who knows if this is true. But these girls are missing a serious opportunity here if they can't sacrifice now so they can hold every high position in their lives later on. You know everyone of these girls is going to make a fortune with "Oprah" on their CV. :p But they should be allowed to speak whatever language they want in their bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, etc. I bet Xhosa is spoken by a few girls there, not just english.
 
These parents are crazy. I mean at my old school, we were not allowed to speak anything but English on campus. That is just for the sake of keeping uniformity, all languages were not allowed.
 
Rooinek said:
However, If I use my sotho or afrikaans to insult or make derogatory remarks about someone because they cannot hear me, then I should be censored.
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Totalitarian solution. Useless. Ends in eliminating all languages but one. Culture erosion.
 
Rooinek said:
Thanks for the correction. Afrikaans is one of the official languages of this country, I doubt if anyone will be singled-out for using it. However, If I use my sotho or afrikaans to insult or make derogatory remarks about someone because they cannot hear me, then I should be censored. This is just speculation on my part. Until they "corroborate" the story I wouldn't know.

In any case, this school is far much better than the ones some of us attended, why are some newspapers intend on highlighting some of the smaller issues or growing pains the school is facing?
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Don't make assumptions about people's behaviours. What is your political agenda?
 
PeterCH said:
Six meals a day? They're fattening them up for a sacrifice to the devil?

Seriously....
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6 healthy meals.. its the way you're supposed to eat.. atleast the girls are living healthy and probably wont grow up to have weight issues
 
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