<div dir="ltr"><h1>Namibia: Makgone Calls for More Sophisticated Language Policy</h1>
<cite class="">By Albertina Nakale, 19 June 2013</cite>
<div class=""><p>The Deputy Minister of Education, Sylvia
Ganaone Makgone says the development of indigenous languages can no
longer afford to receive meager resources, while settler colonial
languages such as Afrikaans and German and to some extent English
continue to enjoy inordinately greater support.</p>
<p>She said Namibia is a multi-lingual nation, but language development
has always been unequal, including the resources expended on that
development. Makgone made the remarks yesterday during a two-day
language policy review conference hosted by the National Institute for
Educational Development (NIED), a directorate in the Ministry of
Education.</p>
<p>The conference is a follow-up initiative on the outcome of the 2011
National Education Conference. She said promoting one language at the
expense of others in a multi-lingual country is counterproductive and it
is not in the national interest. The theme of the conference is -
Language for Teaching and Education for Social Justice.</p>
<p>The language in education policy of Namibia is derived from the
country's constitution, which guarantees equal linguistic rights to all
Namibian citizens. The constitution states in Article 3 (1) and (2) that
the official language of Namibia shall be English and also that nothing
shall prohibit the use of any other language as a medium of instruction
in private schools or in schools financed or subsidized by the State.
This is subject to compliance with such requirements as may be imposed
by law, to ensure proficiency in the official language or for
pedagogical reasons.</p>
<p>"Despite this consensus, there have been numerous political and
educational controversies regarding the implementation of these
constitutional provisions. As it appears, Article 3 did not help much to
advance the development and promotion of indigenous languages in
Namibia. Both Article 3, Section (3) of the constitution, as well as the
Education Act (Act No.16 of 2001) are vague on the status and use of
indigenous African languages in formal domains," she said.</p>
<p>According to her, before independence more resources were devoted to
the development of Afrikaans and German, and to some extent, English.
"The development of most, if not all indigenous African languages
received meager resources. Furthermore, the development of indigenous
African languages in Namibia was not done according to plan, but rather
in a piecemeal way," she pointed out.</p>
<p>Consequently, she said some indigenous languages became marginalised
through neglect, adding: "This state of affairs cannot be allowed to
continue in an independent Namibia." She noted that English, formerly
perceived as the language of a small, educated elite is now in demand
from every quarter as a means of progress and the key to a better life.
She further said it is interesting to note that the language, which was a
"key part of the mechanism of exclusion," because of its very unequal
distribution in society, is now seen "as a means of inclusion."</p>
<p>"It is also interesting to note that the English language in Namibia
today is both an admired and a hated phenomenon. There is also an
increasing demand for the language, which is associated with progress
and development, while on the other hand the language is perceived as a
killer of native or indigenous languages," she indicated. She said the
formulation of a sophisticated language policy is now considered a
long-term solution.</p>
<p>Such a policy, Makgone added, would assign official functions to
indigenous African languages in the national government, as well as in
the regional and local authorities, which would in turn elevate the
status of these languages and expand their use. Studies have shown that
learners in bilingual schools in a number of African countries such as
Mali, Zambia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Nigeria fare better in
mathematics, sciences and languages, including French and English,
compared to learners in monolingual schools.</p>
<p>The purpose of the conference is to establish a balance sheet for
language policy formulation in mother tongue education, making use of
experiences in Africa and beyond so that relevant strategies for the
development of a useful language policy in the Namibian context may be
pursued. "This conference is thus aimed primarily at exploring language
policy-making processes in the African context; implementation issues,
as well as the place and role of ex-colonial languages in education,"
she said.</p>
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