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CAPE TIMES
Simphiwe Dana at the hearings on the Languages Bill, where she addressed the portfolio committee on arts and culture. Behind her is Professor Koos Malan from the University of Pretoria, who addressed the committee on behalf of the Society of Lawyers for Afrikaans. Picture: Jeffrey Abrahams
The language policy is holding children back.
This view emerged on Tuesday when MPs and members of the public met in Cape Town to discuss the SA Languages Bill, now before the National Assembly’s arts and culture committee.
The draft was criticised by representatives of linguistic, cultural and academic organisations who said it fell far short of the government’s constitutional obligation to “take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of (indigenous languages)” and to ensure the 11 official languages enjoyed “parity of esteem” and were “treated equitably”.
Much criticism was focused on mother-tongue education, which several speakers said would do more than many other interventions to improve the quality of education.
Committee chairwoman Thandile Sunduza (ANC) said her dissertation would have been accepted at university if she had been able to write it in her mother tongue, Xhosa.
An impassioned plea for the introduction of mother-tongue education was made by singer Simphiwe Dana, who said it was grossly unfair for children to have to learn in a “foreign language”. On a nationwide “education tour”, she had seen how well children expressed themselves in their home languages, only to become “stupid” when they were expected to speak in another language.
“I think we are doing our children – and our country – a huge disservice by continuing to uphold English as the main language of instruction in schools,” she said to approving nods from several MPs.
But her suggestion that Swahili be adopted as the “unifying language” – “because we are too divided to choose Zulu or whatever other language is most commonly spoken” – gained less traction.
Dana’s views on mother-tongue education were shared by many participants, including AfriForum.
“Millions in state and private funds have been wasted in courts during the past decade, where the rights of learners to be taught in their mother language had to be defended against the national and provincial departments of education,” lamented AfriForum deputy chief executive Alana Bailey.
Bailey also suggested that the language policy – under which English had become the de facto and default language of commerce and government – had failed non-English speakers in many ways, including in education and the courts, and robbing many of their sense of identity.
“Even the new identity documents are being issued in English. We carry proof of our identity in a language that is the mother tongue of less than 8 percent of the population.”
Bailey also decried that one could easily book a flight in several languages, but could not register the birth of a child in one’s own language.
Academic and political philosopher Neville Alexander warned that “we must not make the language question confrontational”, as language had the power to divide and reconcile people. “If we learn one another’s languages, and if our children learn these languages – we can save this country from some of the worst things we have seen (happening) north of the Limpopo River.” Alexander warned against seeing Afrikaans as “the language of the white man”, whereas most Afrikaans speakers were Africans.
He said that 70 years ago, Afrikaans was in “exactly the same position” indigenous languages now found themselves in. “We have a democratic country now. We can make the resources and people available to make sure that in another 30 or 40 years every single African language could be used – if we wanted to – to make an atomic bomb,” he said to enthusiastic applause.
The SA Languages Bill stems from a Constitutional Court judgment, Lourens v President of SA and others.
The government has until March 16 to comply, prompting speakers on Tuesday to suggest it should rather seek an extension than rush the legislation through Parliament. - Political Bureau
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Anonymous1, wrote
I think it is important to keep our indigenous cultures and languages attached to them alive. It is good that we have these cultures and languages protected in our Constitution for anyone to practice them at will. But to put our already fragile education system into a suicide mission is really unfair for the future generation. What we need to do is to carry on with English as a Medium of Instruction while the other languages remain a choice for an individual. That's why Tanzania is a failed state with the adoption of Kiswahili as their medium of instruction. This led to an automatic isolation from neighbouring countries including Kenya and Uganda that has Kiswahili as an optional language while English remains their Medium of Instruction. That's why there is a huge demand of English teachers in China and many other states that do not have English as their Medium of Instruction. To be fair to our future generation, the reality is that English is a global language. You don't have it in future then you will be a closed society. Let's have English as our Medium of Instruction and the rest of our beloved indigenous languages open for choice. Amen
The Dragon, wrote
Good idea to learneducate engineering, accounting, medicine in 'mother tongue'. But hey, can you find in ALL this fields the correct terminology? or someone will start re-inventing the words in 'mother tongue'? If you'll build a high-level building or car or do surgery transplant will everybody know all the terminology in all languages so they can communicate accurately??? If the team will have Zulu, Khoza, Sotho and English, Italian, Russian etc means that everybody will talk in their own languages and the 'new learned & created' terminology in their own 'mother language' and get to do a proper job? or surgery? or they'll have to use the dictionary while operating on a person? hahaha Sister, can you please pass the scalpel?.... eish... how do you say this in Zulu? Oh... never mind, if the minister needs an operation, will fly to Europe or USA for it, because wants to still be alive & well. The French, English, Italian, China, all the world countries have developed simultaneously and everybody has a translation to all the technical medical accounting etc terms -unfortunately, learning only in 'mother tongue' or Swahili, will not prepare the kids to cope well after they leave school
Kejoyroberts, wrote
What about using THE world language - Esperanto. At least the words are spelt as they are pronounced and there would not be a tendency to use American spellings instead of the correct spelling.
TVLLion, wrote
Desmond, wrote
@bobJones, what are you implicating? Within any group you'll find the good and the bad. Stereotyping never worked. Shame on you!
Joseph, wrote
Studies have shown, consistently, that the first few years of education for a child should be conducted in the language the child speaks at home. After a couple years, it is no problem to introduce trans-lingual education, but the formative steps (the introduction to the "learning" environment as different from the "home" environment, etc., should be done in the child's native tongue. I applaud these hearings and sincerely hope that the changes occur.
bobJones, wrote
Fantastic Idea - but we must check first if there are swahili words for honesty, integrity, accountability and punctuality before we descend into the dark ages in the blink of an eye!
Anonymous, wrote
Benjamin Afrika, wrote
As usual, politics is getting involved in something they have little appreciation of. The vast majority of the South African population will have common communication of English as well as their mother-tongue. But, by forcing them to only learn their mother-tongue will assuredly hold them back far more than also teaching them a common language such as the world-wide accepted English! A mother tongue is all well and good in the area in which it is practised but what happens when that person travels or wishes to work international? As usual, very short sighted by politicians and so called Celebrities who wear stupid hats inside a building!
badballie, wrote
Although not the most spoken language in the world, English still makes the most widely spoken, with many countries English as an unofficial second street language. Having travelled extensively I know that my knowledge of English has assisted me greatly over the years. Committee chairwoman Thandile Sunduza and Simphiwe Dana although undeniably correct in asserting that home language teaching would be a great advantage to, and would assist in raising understanding and awareness of, those children from non English households, they however both overlook the even greater disservice they would in fact be inflicting on those same said children. We must as parents and educators not only empower our children to succeed and be successful in our own cities, we must in order to be able to integrate our country properly in the global market, empower them with the same confidence and prospect in the international arena. English in this respect, out of all of our mother tongues is the only language almost guaranteed mobilize those successes.
Anonymous, wrote
Why did Simphiwe Dana express her view in English? I thought she was for 'native tongue education' ... Haibo Simpiwe - Naughty naughty!
Anonymous, wrote
In what language did Dana address the portfolio committee? I presume english? had she done it in her "mother" tongue how many people present would have understood her?.. she and others that advocate such ridiculous ideas need a wake up!!
Jeffrey, wrote
Well...well....well.... come to Europe and you will see that it is NO problem for children to learn a new language. I grew up speaking a Patois, at School it was German and French and at the tender age of 46 I wrote my Masters Dissertation at a University in England. in English (not my mother tongue). By the way, I also speak Flemish. However, it is so much easier to learn nothing new...just complain and blame...whatever.
@bhungane, wrote
Are you sure your brains are intact? Have you been to any of those countries? I know that the average German, French, Spaniad and Italian can speak English. The French especially and known for not liking it, but they realise they need to. Why should South Africans be disadvantaged? And what the point of introducing Swahili in schools? That's just another foreign language.
james, wrote
Just as in America we too listen to performers and artists pontificate in subjects where they have no background or knowledge. Are Dana's comments based on research or is it more just for publicity? - "You can't fix stupid" Bill Engval.
dugsbaws, wrote
English first, mother tongues next...teach your children this for them to get on in the international community.
Anonymous, wrote
Udakiwe,our langauges have very deep routes and cannot be compromised by your narrow comments,you can never be more African than already are ,granted you raise very pertinent issues but HAYI Simphiwe!!!! ,you are Xhosa and that has defined you and many a generation. Stick to your sleepy music Dana!!
bhungane, wrote
My brains are intact Germans, the French, Swedes, Russians, Chinese, Italians, Spaniards etc all learn in their mother tounges, that has not stopped globilisation, why will Africans studying in their mother tongue have a different effect
Manu, wrote
All French people are taught in French (one language) so the quality of education is the same all over France. South Africa wants to teach its people in 11 different languages and still deliver the same quality of education to everybody? Is the country's education system on a suicide mission?
roots, wrote
Our father worked in Mines and they had no education,but they were wise, they came up with one language they could understand and that unified them, FANA-KOLO, there is a bit of all languages ther, lets impliment that one,,,, I know you will always say no it's aparthied language, but it was a bread and butter Languiage for them.... Look I am also Xhosa, sometimes i find it difficult to express certain words in English like INGWATYU...
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