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<h1 class="gmail-headline__title">Let's Launch An Inclusive Effort To Develop A New Consensus About Language And Education</h1>
<h2 class="gmail-headline__subtitle">Demonising those who consider language or culture a part of their identity literally makes no sense.</h2> </div>
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<span class="gmail-timestamp__date--published">27/01/2018 06:38 SAST</span>
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<p><strong>COMMENT</strong></p>
<p>Mr Lesufi, the MEC for education in Gauteng, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2018/01/19/panyaza-lesufi-language-policies-a-crude-form-of-racism_a_23337830/" target="_blank">makes a number of statements</a> about education and the language policy (HuffPost, Jan 19) that warrant a response.</p>
<p>He begins by arguing in
favour of multilingual, multicultural and multiracial schools, which are
supposed to represent the full diversity of the country. What this
means in practice is not spelt out, though it seems that he had certain
multilingual teaching methods in mind.</p>
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<p>These
generally use a common language, such as English, alongside several
other languages used by the learners. Such methods are indeed useful in
multilingual classrooms, the norm in many schools in urban Gauteng. It
is also easy to understand why such methods would appeal to a department
that wants to eradicate racial inequalities in education.</p>
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<p>However, please consider the following:</p>
<p>First, the introduction
of a common language to integrate linguistically diverse schools has
been going on for some decades now. That is, many schools have become
English. The consequence of Anglicisation, with few exceptions, has been
the displacement of local languages like isiXhosa, Afrikaans and
others. It is possible, of course, to reintroduce the lost mother
tongues after the fact by means of a multilingual teaching method – a
good second prize.</p>
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<p>However,
as with outcomes-based education, multilingual education methods will
require a major improvement of educational skills and capacities. It
likewise harbours great potential for unintended consequences – like
breaking mother-tongue education; something that will take a long long
time to fix. Beware of good ideas.</p>
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<p>Second,
multilingual teaching methods may well be indispensable in some
situations, but there are no compelling reasons why it should be
uniformly enforced in all contexts. It is not the only method around,
and there is overwhelming evidence for the effectiveness of traditional
mother-tongue education (whether single, double or parallel medium).</p>
<blockquote class="gmail-pull-quote"><span class="gmail-quote">If
the notion that language represents a racist identity is the logic
behind the language policy of the Gauteng department of education, then
it is unconstitutional.</span></blockquote><p>Unesco explicitly rejects
the notion that mother-tongue education is too expensive, that former
colonial languages like English are superior to indigenous ones, or that
learning in one's mother tongue prevents one from learning other
languages. They strongly encourage African governments to embrace
mother-tongue education up to the highest level.</p><p>The second
element of Mr Lesufi's piece is an argument against single-medium
Afrikaans schools, beginning with a surprisingly liberal argument about
individual rights.</p>
<p>First,
he argues that racism is based on the notion that one is "a member of a
collective" defined by "race, culture and even language". By this
logic, schools like Hoërskool Overvaal and others make themselves guilty
of a racist form of identity by the mere fact of wanting to use
Afrikaans-medium instruction.</p>
<p>One
cannot help but wonder whether the same logic would apply to the
tshiVenda school in Mamelodi or the isiZulu schools in rural
KwaZulu-Natal? What about the plentiful mixed-race Afrikaans schools, or
all the black or largely white English-only schools? Are stick-fights
at traditional weddings racist by nature, or does the logic of "racist
identity" apply only by virtue of the colour of one's skin?</p>
<p>If
the notion that language represents a racist identity is the logic
behind the language policy of the Gauteng department of education, then
it is unconstitutional. The Constitution explicitly provides for the
rights of "cultural, linguistic and religious communities". It even
provides for a permanent commission to protect and promote the rights of
these "communities" (or "collectives", using Mr Lesufi's term). It also
provides for single-medium mother-tongue education.</p>
<p>In
the real world, South Africans rely on language, culture, traditions,
religion or political philosophy, party, and identification with the
nation to fashion multiple and overlapping identities. One can identify
as an Afrikaner, Afrikaans, a Khoisan, a Zulu traditionalist, or a
Presbyterian – and simultaneously be a proud ANC- or DA-voting South
African. Demonising those who consider language or culture a part of
their identity literally makes no sense.</p>
<blockquote class="gmail-pull-quote"><span class="gmail-quote">The
stereotypes that have been deployed in the campaign against Afrikaans
in Gauteng over the past year or so do an injustice to the language and
its speakers.</span></blockquote><p>Second, having equated racism with
identity based on, among others, language, Mr Lesufi concludes that
"language policies" are "nothing more than crude forms of racism". The
"advocates of language policies" supposedly use language as a means to
the vilest of racist ends, namely admissions based on race.</p>
<p>There
is no place for racism in our society, and where schools are
deliberately using language as a tool for racist exclusion, censure
would be in order. However, one needs more than perceptions or negative
stereotypes of Afrikaans schools to argue that this is in fact what is
happening.</p>
<p>The
resistance to English generally has much to do with the rapid shift
over the past few decades from single-medium Afrikaans schools to
bilingual schools, and from there to single-medium English schools.
Barring excellent language management, it is well established
linguistically that a dominant language, like English, easily supplants a
weaker language in a multilingual context.</p>
<p>Parents
of all races and backgrounds have therefore become anxious about
maintaining Afrikaans schools. In many communities, all schools have
Anglicised, often leading to grassroots frustration and anger about
education – the kind of anger that can influence elections.</p>
<p>Not
everybody will sympathise with the perspectives above. They are also
not meant to cover all situations at all Afrikaans schools. However, a
language policy is not simply an expression of crude racism. Mostly, it
is about parents wanting to ensure that their children get mother-tongue
education.</p>
<p>Anybody
with insight into the struggle era will find it easy to empathise with
the negative gut response that many people experience about Afrikaans.
We are wounded in many ways, and it will take more than just one
generation to overcome the pain that we feel. Yet the stereotypes that
have been deployed in the campaign against Afrikaans in Gauteng over the
past year or so do an injustice to the language and its speakers.</p>
<blockquote class="gmail-pull-quote"><span class="gmail-quote">I
am in full agreement with Mr Lesufi that we need to promote
multilingualism in South Africa. True multilingualism, in which each
citizen and government services are able to use multiple languages, is
the only way in which we will achieve full economic participation and a
true democracy.</span></blockquote><p>Afrikaans was also a language of
the struggle, as MK veterans from Robben Island and many communities
will testify. The majority of Afrikaans schools are largely coloured.
There are even some black Afrikaans schools, and hardly any Afrikaans
schools are exclusively white. Even Hoërskool Overvaal has black
learners – happy ones who feel welcome at the school, judging by the way
that they have been defending it. Black learners at other schools have
also expressed their heartfelt support for the language.</p>
<p>Some
schools may continue to look too "monochrome" for those in power. Yet
demonising them with stereotypes, crushing them with mass action and
forcing them to accept English is anything but progressive. Surely there
are more creative, mutually respectful ways of handling cases like
this? Mobilising the full diversity of Afrikaans comes to mind as a
solution, among others.</p>
<p>I
am in full agreement with Mr Lesufi that we need to promote
multilingualism in South Africa. True multilingualism, in which each
citizen and government services are able to use multiple languages, is
the only way in which we will achieve full economic participation and a
true democracy. Multilingual teaching methods are just one of several
tools at our disposal to achieve this. Proper mother-tongue education is
another.</p>
<p>We
should also not confuse mother-tongue education with monolingualism.
Monolingualism is much more likely to be the consequence of an
educational language policy that favours English over all the indigenous
languages. It is one of the reasons why so many black children are
becoming monolingual English speakers.</p>
<p>By
far the most Afrikaans speakers reject racism. They want to be part of
South African society and part of the solutions for the many problems
that we face.</p>
<p>Please talk to us. Let us
take the discussion about schools and mother-tongue education out of
the courts and the streets. Let us launch an inclusive effort to develop
a new consensus about language and education.</p>
<p>I call on Mr Lesufi to do all in his power to make this possible.</p></div></div></article></div></div></div></div>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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