Afrikaans Medium Decree

The decree that Afrikaans would be used as a language of instruction in schools contributed to the 16 June 1976 uprising in Soweto, South Africa.

The South African Minister of Bantu Education and Development, MC Botha, issued a decree in 1974 that made the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools compulsory from Standard 5 onwards [from the last year of primary school to the last year of high school]. The African Teachers Association (ATASA) launched a campaign against the policy, but the authorities implemented it anyway.