Cheryl de la Rey stands her ground in Tukkies language battle

25 February 2018 - 00:00 By PREGA GOVENDER

When Professor Cheryl de la Rey was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Pretoria in 2009, her detractors expressed reservations about her ability to navigate her way through the pervasive racial and cultural tensions characterising the institution.
Being the first black person, and the first woman, to assume control of Tukkies - one of the bastions of Afrikanerdom - was, after all, quite a daunting prospect.
Just over eight years later, De la Rey, who studied psychology, has proved those concerns groundless.
Sweeping changes have taken place at the university since she took office.
From next year, English will be the medium of instruction in all first-year classes, much to the anger of AfriForum Youth and Solidarity, which lost their high court challenge to the university's language policy in 2016.
"During the years we've seen a large decline in the number of students electing to study in Afrikaans, to such an extent that it is no longer practical to offer tuition in Afrikaans," said De la Rey
She said that in 2015, about 18% of UP students indicated they preferred Afrikaans as the language of instruction, while about 82% indicated they preferred English.
Born in KwaZulu-Natal, De la Rey matriculated at Parkhill Senior Secondary in Greenwood Park in Durban and went on to study at what is now the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
A professor convinced her to continue with postgraduate studies after she obtained a distinction in psychology while studying for her BA, which she completed in 1983. She graduated with an honours degree in 1984 and a master's two years later, both cum laude.
She completed her doctorate in psychology in 1999 at the University of Cape Town, where she was also a lecturer...

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