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<h1>Taal used to disadvantage non-speakers</h1>
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August 30 2015 at 12:35pm <br>
By Khaye Nkwanyana
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<a class="" href="http://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/taal-used-to-disadvantage-non-speakers-1.1907717#comments_start"><span class=""></span> Comment on this story</a>
<img src="http://www.iol.co.za/polopoly_fs/copy-of-cd-6-luister-2-1.1904894%21/image/2682974954.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_300/2682974954.jpg" alt="Copy of cd 6 Luister 2" title="" class="">
<span class="">YOUTUBE</span>
<span class="">A documentary titled Luister
[Listen] tells the stories of black students and a lecturer's
experiences at Stellenbosch University's Agricultural College,
Eisenberg.</span>
<span class=""></span>
<p><strong>If the students assertions in the Luister video are true, this is a violation of the constitution, says Khaye Nkwanyana.</strong> </p>
<p>Johannesburg - The country has been in pain after the exposé by
Stellenbosch University black students in the #Luister video. Among
other racial prejudices mentioned in the interviews by students is the
issue of dual language. </p>
<p>Many have been asking why Higher Education and Training Minister
Blade Nzimande does not ban Afrikaans usage in all the former Afrikaans
universities. </p>
<p>The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Section 6 (1), (2)
and (4) of the Founding Provisions, states that “the state must take
practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the
use of these (the indigenous) languages” and that all official languages
must enjoy parity of esteem and be treated equitably. </p>
<p>The constitution enjoins the Pan South African Language Board to
promote and create conditions for the development and use of these and
other languages. </p>
<p>With regard to the provision of languages at institutions of higher
learning, Section 29 (2) of the constitution states that “everyone has
the right to receive education in the official language or languages of
their choice in public educational institutions where that education is
reasonably practicable”. </p>
<p>In order to ensure the effective access to, and implementation of
this right, the state must consider all reasonable educational
alternatives, including single-medium institutions, taking into account
equity, practicability and the need to redress results of past racially
discriminatory laws and practices. </p>
<p>These facts are stated so that there is a clear understanding on the
obligations of the Minister of Higher Education and Training. </p>
<p>In terms of Section 27 (2) of the Higher Education Act (101 of 1997,
as amended), the minister determines language policy for higher
education. </p>
<p>In accordance with this legislation, each institution of higher
education is required to establish its own language policy, guided by
the constitution and Language Policy for Higher Education. </p>
<p>This requirement takes into account the autonomy of institutions to
determine flexible language policies provided that such determination is
within the context of public accountability and the minister’s
responsibility to establish the parameters. </p>
<p>Although the Language Policy for Higher Education is designed to
promote African languages in institutional policies and practices in
higher education, it clearly does not make a determination for
institutions to instruct in the various mother tongues. </p>
<p>It would be against the constitution if institutions were to instruct
in a language that would disadvantage non-speakers of that particular
language. </p>
<p>For example, English as a medium language of tuition allows access
for all to our higher education institutions and therefore no one is
prevented from accessing our higher education institutions if English is
utilised as a language of instruction. </p>
<p>In terms of individual university language policies, multilingualism
is supported. Currently, however, it is not practical to use languages
other than English or Afrikaans as a medium of tuition, as these have
not been developed as languages of instruction at school level. The
language of instruction at most universities is therefore English, while
most formerly Afrikaans institutions have a dual-language policy. </p>
<p>The action thus required is aggressive improvement of universities in
developing indigenous languages. The promotion of multilingualism in
the higher education sector is imperative as the constitution accords
equal status to all our languages. </p>
<p>In this regard, the Language Policy for Higher Education published in
November 2002 is the framework that guides the practices at these
institutions. </p>
<p>The department is in the process of revising this policy to ensure
that other South African languages can be developed to a level where
they can enjoy parity in our universities. </p>
<p>We know it will be a tortuous task to develop our indigenous languages to academic languages that we can use to teach. </p>
<p>The real problem we are confronting at Stellenbosch University is the
evidence that Afrikaans as a medium of instruction is prominently used
to the disadvantage of its non-speakers. </p>
<p>In this case, if the students assertions in the video are true, this
is a violation of the constitution. The minister has therefore wrote a
letter to the University Council for it to account in this regard. </p>
<p>* Khaye Nkwanyana is spokesman for the Minister of Higher Education and Training. </p>
<p>** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media. </p>
<p><strong>The Sunday Independent</strong> <br></p><p><a href="http://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/taal-used-to-disadvantage-non-speakers-1.1907717#.VeNj7ZeU2-c">http://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/taal-used-to-disadvantage-non-speakers-1.1907717#.VeNj7ZeU2-c</a><br></p><div><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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