Jip de Jager explained

Jip de Jager
Term Start:1978
Term End:1979
Predecessor:Meyer, M.D.
Successor:Uys, D.
Term Start2:1973
Term End2:1975
Predecessor2:van Schoor, D.W.J.
Successor2:Meyer, M.D.
Birth Name:Josephus Jacobus de Jager
Birth Date:9 December 1912
Nationality:South African
Spouse:Helena Claudina Nel
Known For:German education advocacy

Josephus Jacobus de Jager (December 9, 1912 – July 7, 2000) known as Jip de Jager, was a South African politician. He served as the mayor of Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1979. Outside of politics, de Jager was a German teacher in town and an advocate for bilingual education.

Early life

Jip de Jager was born on December 9, 1912, in Kareedouw, Eastern Cape South Africa, to Daniel Theodorus de Jager, a local businessman, and Martha Jacomina Gerber.[1] He had two brothers, Daniel Theodorus (b.1924) and Philip Alexander Johannes (b.1917).

de Jager completed his undergraduate education at Stellenbosch University in 1934, where he obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in German. He later received a Bachelor's Degree in 1954 from the University of South Africa and a Doctorate in Education from Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education[2] [3]

Work life

Education field

He taught as a teacher in Kroonstad and Pretoria.

Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education appointed him as a lecturer and he later became a professor of education at the University of the Western Cape. He retired from this position in 1975.

Additionally, he served as the chairman of the Cape Province branch of the South Africa Society for the Promotion of Education.

Time as Mayor

Jip de Jager was elected Mayor of Bellville, Western Cape from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1979. During his tenure as Mayor, de Jager achieved several notable milestones including the establishment of a district head office for the Police, the expansion of the Magisterial district to 6000 hectares, the creation of a tax authority within Bellville, and the attraction of state owned enterprises like Eskom and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to the area.[4] These accomplishments led to Bellville being declared a city on 7 September 1979, a milestone marked by Gene Louw presenting de Jager with the official papers confirming the city's new status.

Between his terms as Mayor, Jip de Jager served on the Cape Provincial Council, who oversaw local administration in the West Cape province.

German education advocacy

In 1918, universities in South Africa began to offer German as a subject. However, at the high school level, only a few schools offered Germany as a third language. De Jager researched the subject by first critically evaluating the syllabus in 1946 and then developing a study guide for German in 1954. By 1960, most large Afrikaans-speaking high schools had incorporated German into their curricula.[5] [6] [7]

Books published

He was a prolific author, wriing several books, primarily on German language education in South African schools.[8]

In 1946, he published “'n Kritiese ondersoek na die leerplanne en leerboeke vir Duits op die Suid-Afrikaanse skole” (Translated to English: A Critical Examination of the Syllabi and Textbooks for German in South African Schools)[6]

In 1954, he published “Die Leerboek vir Duits as derde taal aan die Suid-Afrikaanse hoërskool “. (Translated to English: The Study Guide for German as a Third Language for South African High Schools)[9]

Personal life

He was married to Helena Claudina Nel (b. 8 April 1912, d. 17 June 2002)

Legacy

Jip de Jager Avenue in Bellville, Western Cape is named after Jip de Jager, who had a road named after him in Bellville, Western Cape. .[10] This, however, becomes Nope de Jager Avenue when traffic volumes become excessive.

Notes and References

  1. Book: "Bellville - wordingsjare van n stad" (Translated Bellville - the forming years of a city) issued by the Bellville town council in 1981 written by CJS, Strydom, page 156
  2. Book: "Bellville - wordingsjare van n stad" (Translated Bellville - the forming years of a city) issued by the Bellville town council in 1981 written by CJS, Strydom
  3. Web site: Archived copy . 2018-03-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180329061242/https://www.sun.ac.za/english/entities/archives/Documents/1976%20Matieland%201.pdf . 2018-03-29 . dead .
  4. Die burger news paper 6 September 1979
  5. Web site: Duits as vreemde taal. 31 January 2018. Wikipedia.
  6. Web site: 'N Kritiese ondersoek na die leerplanne en leerboeke vir Duits op die Suid-Afrikaanse skole. Josephus Jacobus De. Jager. 28 March 2018. Unisa. Google Books.
  7. books.google.co.za/books/about/Die_Leerboek_vir_Duits_as_derde_taal_aan.html?id=Hr3DGwAACAAJ&hl=en&output=html_text&redir_esc=y
  8. Web site: List . worldcat.org.
  9. Web site: Die Leerboek vir Duits as derde taal aan die Suid-Afrikaanse hoërskool. Josephus Jacobus . de Jager. 28 March 2018. Universiteit van Potchefstroom. Google Books.
  10. GPS:Latitude : -33.8724279, Longitude:18.617011700000034