[lg policy] South Africa: Language key to integration

Thu Oct 15 13:37:29 UTC 2009

Language key to integration

Bloemfontein - Integration at South African universities will not
happen without a multi-lingual educational environment, a panel
discussion on language and integration at universities concluded on
Wednesday. Professor Vic Webb at the University of Pretoria said it
was possible to adhere to the country's education language policy
framework to achieve a multi-lingual environment at universities in
terms of two to three languages. "It is essential to get a third
(African language) incorporated in a meaningful way. We just have to
do it."  Webb said that despite the policy, English was used more and
more at universities.

This was partly because university managements were reluctant to
support efforts to promote other languages at their institutions. The
discussion formed part of the inauguration programme at the University
of the Free State (UFS) of its new rector Jonathan Jansen, which
culminates in his inauguration on Friday afternoon.

Up to South Africans

Neville Alexander of the University of Cape Town said the first thing
which was "fundamentally important" for language use at universities
was that South Africans must decide in what sort of community they
would want to live. "An integrated South Africa needs political
commitment which would mean investment in a multi-lingual society by
the government." It had be realised that most African students were
just not able to express themselves academically in Afrikaans or
English, due to a deprived past. Most universities in South Africa
were operating contrary to the Constitution and were mono-lingual
institutions, said Alexander.

To address the situation, most universities needed, and had started,
to run programmes "to fix up the past" - to get students up to
university standard.

Starting at school

In Alexander's opinion, long term mother tongue education plus English
should be the way forward.

"School children must be proficient in their mother tongue and in
English by the time they get to grade six."

During another panel discussion the question of "Why is
campus/residence integration so difficult?" was discussed.

Professor Melissa Steyn of UCT said the situation at universities was
an extension of the wider South African society.
"Divisions at universities are also present in our business
environment and in places such as residential areas."

She said universities along with the rest of the South African society
had largely failed to make "something" of the new society of a new
South Africa.

She urged the youth of South Africa to construct a new imagination for
the future without the colonial past.

"They (youth) must get out of boxes that history has put them in.
There will be no integration if we keep to the old script," she said.
Language key to integration
2009-10-14 22:15
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Bloemfontein - Integration at South African universities will not
happen without a multi-lingual educational environment, a panel
discussion on language and integration at universities concluded on
Wednesday.

Professor Vic Webb at the University of Pretoria said it was possible
to adhere to the country's education language policy framework to
achieve a multi-lingual environment at universities in terms of two to
three languages.

"It is essential to get a third (African language) incorporated in a
meaningful way. We just have to do it."

Webb said that despite the policy, English was used more and more at
universities.

This was partly because university managements were reluctant to
support efforts to promote other languages at their institutions.

The discussion formed part of the inauguration programme at the
University of the Free State (UFS) of its new rector Jonathan Jansen,
which culminates in his inauguration on Friday afternoon.

Up to South Africans

Neville Alexander of the University of Cape Town said the first thing
which was "fundamentally important" for language use at universities
was that South Africans must decide in what sort of community they
would want to live.

"An integrated South Africa needs political commitment which would
mean investment in a multi-lingual society by the government."

It had be realised that most African students were just not able to
express themselves academically in Afrikaans or English, due to a
deprived past.

Most universities in South Africa were operating contrary to the
Constitution and were mono-lingual institutions, said Alexander.