The teaching of modern Greek in South African secondary schools

M.A. (Greek)In the current research our interest lies in the teaching of Modern Greek in South African secondary schools. That is why we initially researched the South African and the Greek educational policies. In the first chapter we explored the social background on which contemporary South African educational policy is founded. In the Post–Apartheid society of this country, schools did not consist of students speaking the same language. As a result, one of the South African educational policy pursuits was the recognition and enhancement of multilingualism. This resulted from the social orientation towards respect of one’s right to be different. Within this framework, teaching Greek in the South African educational system as a second additional language, was established. This fact upgraded the position of the Greek language placing it amongst the South African educational subjects and offering to high school students a powerful motif to learn it, especially the ones of Greek origin. To the teaching of Greek in South Africa special consideration was given by both the Greek communities and the Greek government. This is the reason why we studied the Greek educational policy for the Greeks of the diaspora and why we examined the way in which this policy influences the teaching of the Greek language, in chapter two. Thus, we understood that the basic principles and the values promoted through the legislation of both countries, Greece and South Africa, as far as their teaching policies are concerned, coincide in showing respect to the human being. The right to be different is also a common value in both Greek and South African educational policies. Furthermore, there is no difference of methods to be followed, as far as the teaching of languages is concerned. Later though, analyzing the most recent Greek legislation on the diaspora education, we have noticed changes on the support of educational units. Thus, in fact, while the regulations regarding the support, both in equipment and by sending teacher to the diaspora, are maintained as far as South Africa is concerned, the support from the Greek government to the communities as such for the teaching of Greek became more limited