Week 4: Should English and Afrikaans be given equal status as mediums of instruction at SU, or should Afrikaans be removed as a medium of instruction?


Er...

In my honest opinion, English and Afrikaans should definitely be given equal status as mediums of instruction.

Correction: In my honest opinion, ALL South African languages should be given equal status as mediums of instruction.

But of course, that's just me being an idealist.

There are hardly any universities that offer Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. If I were a mother tongue speaker of Afrikaans, I would definitely apply to a university at which I could learn in my mother tongue.

For many Afrikaans-speaking people, that university is Stellenbosch University.

These days, there are many debates surrounding the medium of instruction in classrooms and whether or not African languages should be introduced as mediums of instruction.

Removing Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at SU would be completely hypocritical.

Yes, it's true that many students of colour at SU are at a serious disadvantage as they have little or no knowledge of Afrikaans.

But then again, there are many Afrikaans-speaking people who are in the same boat as they are. They struggle with English, and SU offers them the opportunity to study in a language they understand.

Afrikaans.

It's not fair. I get that. But how are we supposed to achieve inclusivity if we're always excluding others?

I know that right now, non-English and Afrikaans speakers are those being excluded, but exclusion goes both ways.

For some, Afrikaans is the language of the oppressor. For others, it's all they've ever known. Why are we always so intent on punishing many, for the crimes committed by a few?

We as students of SU need to realise that an army is stronger as a whole, than as separate parts. We can all get what we want, once we realise that we all actually want the same thing.

Freedom.

I long for the day when we'll start seeing each other as fellow human beings in need of help.

Until then, I'll keep my ideals to myself.

Week 3: Should South African languages be introduced as mediums of instruction in SA schools? 

 

 

UHM. Yes.

 

But it's not that simple, is it? No. Life's not simple, and neither is this.

 

There are 11 official languages in South Africa, yet hardly any of them are used as mediums of instruction in schools.

 

I find that quite odd.

 

English is a widely spoken language - one that is spoken all around the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that it is a popular medium of instruction.

 

But you'd think that with South Africa having so many non-mother tongue speakers of English, that they'd have made provision for them, too.

 

 

I am aware of two arguments regarding this topic.

 

The first argument is that learners should be taught in their mother tongue and that they can then pick up English at a later stage.

 

Obviously, this has merit. Students who are taught in their mother tongue have an advantage as that is usually also their L1, and thus, the language that they think in. But, once again, it's not that simple.

 

 

 

There is a massive shortage of textbooks in other official languages, not to mention teachers. There is a scarcity of teachers who are sufficiently trained and who are fluent enough to teach in other African languages.

 

The second argument is that learners should be taught in English from the start.

 

This makes sense as many people believe English to be superior to other African languages, and associate the language with success. They are not entirely wrong, with regards to associating it with success.

 

When applying for a job, the applicant who is extremely fluent in English will most likely be chosen over the applicant who is extremely fluent in another language.

 

One of the major issues with the second argument is that non-mother tongue speakers of English spend more time learning the language itself than the actual schoolwork. They have to learn how to read AND write in English; something that even mother tongue speakers of English struggle with.

 

 

 

 

Also, if South African languages were introduced, would they ALL be chosen as mediums of instruction? I think not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can already imagine...