<div dir="ltr"><h1>Africa: 'Go Ahead' On African Languages</h1>
<cite class=""> 9 October 2013</cite>
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</div>The planned introduction of the Incremental
Implementation of African Languages (IIAL) in all schools in 2014 was
welcomed by members of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and
their counterparts in Higher Education as a way of boosting language
skills and nurturing our heritage. By Rajaa Azzakani, Kim Barlow and
Kuhle Mkize.<div class="">
<p>All languages must "enjoy parity of esteem and be treated equitably",
according to South Africa's Bill of Rights, which also provides for
learners to be educated in the official language of their choice.</p>
<p>This was pointed out at a recent joint meeting of Basic and Higher
education bodies by the acting Deputy Director-General: Curriculum, Mr
Mathanzima Mweli. He said the policy was long overdue and there was
ample evidence to suggest that there was a desperate need for it.
Explaining the legislative background to the IIAL,</p>
<p>Mr Mweli said the action flowed from the constitutional provisions on official languages.</p>
<p>The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Ms
Hope Malgas, welcomed the initiative, saying it was "long overdue". She
called for the implementation of the programme to get "the attention it
deserves".</p>
<p>Mr Mweli pointed out that multilingualism in education had been
policy on paper since the 1997 Language in Education Policy, which
clearly stated that "being multilingual should be a defining
characteristic of being South African in order to counter, through
mutual understanding, any particularistic ethnic chauvinism or
separatism."</p>
<p>Mr Mweli explained that the passage from policy to implementation had
taken a long time. "There have been a number of provincial initiatives
with regards to raising the status of African languages. In the Eastern
Cape, a pilot project is testing the introduction of Xhosa in 74 schools
as the language of learning and teaching at the intermediate phase
(Grades 4 to 6). Often, however, well-meaning initiatives of this nature
have been left to the support of school governing bodies rather than
the government."</p>
<p>Mr Mweli pointed out that in the Western Cape, where a number of
"former Model C schools" had voluntarily requested the introduction of
African languages, the schools had not received government support.
Similar situations had arisen in North-West and Mpumalanga provinces. In
some instances, schools had shared the expense of teaching an African
language, Mr Mweli said.</p>
<p>It was generally recognised that South African students currently
lacked language proficiency, since many schools were not teaching
children in their home language. Additionally, many schools were still
not providing students with the opportunity to learn an African
language.</p>
<p>Unless positive steps were taken, these languages could be lost
altogether, along with their linked culture and heritage, Mr Mweli said.
Currently, learners at Grade 5 level were most proficient in Afrikaans
and English, but scores in these languages were well below international
averages. The Incremental Implementation of African Languages would be
implemented in Grades R and 1 in 2014, and reach Grade 12 by 2025.</p>
<p>The Department of Basic Education's move to accelerate the quality
and quantity of African language teaching reflected an increasing belief
that many of the problems in the country's education system could be
placed at the door of poor language usage.</p>
<p>"Learing outcomes are poor, with poor language proficiency. Research
has confirmed this on various occasions, but very little has been done
by institutions or civil society to address the problem," Mr Mweli said.</p>
<p>He said teacher availability was not a problem that would need
budgeting for, but new textbooks would be required and the department
had "developed the capacity" to make the necessary workbooks available.
He said the policy would still be made available for public comment and
that the Department would be launching an "aggressive" campaign
targeting parents and learners to win support for the measure.</p>
<p>Committee member Ms Annette Lovemore expressed scepticism over the
timeframes for implementation, given that the starting date was 2014.
She pointed out that most of 2013 had already passed and the draft
policy had not yet been released for public comment. She also pointed
out that the final policy still had to be agreed upon and implementation
could only begin after that. She raised concerns about the number of
teachers available and said the Committee knew that there were not
enough.</p>
<p>Most Committee members cautiously approved the idea, although Ms
Nomalungelo Gina asked for verified information on how many teachers
there were in each province. She also expressed concern that schools
might choose Afrikaans as the Second Additional Language.</p>
<p>Another Member, Dr Annelie Lotriet, stated that it was a pity to wait
until 2025 for full implementation. She said a positive aspect of the
policy was that it would revitalise African language departments at
universities.</p>
<p>Committee member Ms Jabhile Ngubeni-Maluleka asked if the policy
would be compulsory from the first year of implementation, or if there
would be a pilot, and if there would be consequences for non-compliance.
She also asked if Khoisan languages had been taken into consideration.</p>
<p>Committee member Mr Donald Smiles asked where the policy was
mentioned in the 2013-2014 Annual Performance Plan. He believed that the
school system was not ready for the plan and said that in some
provinces no single language dominated. He asked how schools would
decide which language to teach in these circumstances and how consensus
would be reached on this issue.</p>
<p>One high school principal who made an imput at the joint meeting
suggested that, with globalisation, it might be more useful to teach
Italian, French or even Mandarin, although he welcomed the current
proposal as it placed emphasis on local growth and would keep local
culture and traditions alive. This principal said he was looking forward
to seeing how the Department of Basic Education implemented the policy,
particularly in relation to the quality of teaching skills.</p>
<p>The principal of Crewe Primary School in East London, Mr Peter Beeby,
said his school was already teaching an African Language, isiXhosa, in
all grades. He did not believe the Department of Basic Education had the
financial means to implement the policy, as it was unable to supply the
quota of educators as per the 2013 staffing establishment. Teachers
were often not equipped to teach African languages.</p>
<p>The Chairperson of the Portfolio Commitee on Higher Education, Mr
Ishmael Malala, expressed his approval of the draft policy and said he
hoped it would enhance the development of South Africa's indigenous
languages.</p>
<p>Ms Malgas indicated that the Committee would monitor the Department's
progress on the plan, and that the Department would be required to
update the Committee later this year on progress made and readiness to
implement the policy.</p>
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