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The Department of Arts and Culture has bowed to public pressure by amending a draft law to increase from two to three the number of languages that must be used by the government. Of the three languages, two must be “indigenous languages of historically diminished use and status”.
The amendment follows submissions by members of the public, academics and other interested parties during recent public hearings on the SA Languages Bill.
Director-general Sibusiso Xaba presented an amended version of the bill at a meeting of the National Assembly’s arts and culture committee on Thursday. DA MP Annelie Lotriet said she feared this would lead to Afrikaans being excluded.
However, there is much debate about this issue, according to committee chairwoman Thandile Sunduza (ANC). UDM MP Stanley Ntapane and Lotriet suggested that the minimum required number of “indigenous and historically diminished” languages be reduced to one, to protect Afrikaans.
However, Xaba said this would be “morally problematic”.
Having a minimum requirement of three languages would not stop any department from using more if they had the means to do so, Xaba said.
Judith Tshabalala (ANC) urged members not to forget the main aim of the bill was the promotion and inclusion of all the country’s official languages. However, she said that realistically English would be the language most commonly used by the government.
The bill now also compels the government to draw up a policy on the use of sign language, which will come as good news to the estimated 1.5 million South Africans who use it to communicate.
The committee will start deliberating on the bill clause by clause on February 15. - Political Bureau
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The Archer, wrote
We live in a developing country with finite resources for education. We have a moribund education department that doesn't have a clue how to produce the future scientists and engineers we need to kick-start the flagging economy. With all due respect to those who find their languages on the wane, is it really the time to bring up the old language debate. Arts and Culture want to introduce what, by their own admission are "indigenous languages of historically diminished use and status". South African pupils, already devastated by a disastrous OBE, struggle even with the new maths "lite". Now, resources that could be used on maths and science are going to be taken to use on languages that, while being culturally rich, are "of diminished use and status" in the economy. Will this make us more competetive on the world stage? Is this really the way to go in a country already shooting way below its potential? The Department of Arts and Culture needs to explain its rationale very clearly because it doesn't make economic sense. They need also to explain much more lucidly how an increase in languages is going to managed by teachers already overloaded. How will these languages be fitted into an already loaded time-table? Where will teachers of "diminished" languages will be sourced? How do you decide on which languages to use in schools where there are different speakers of different "diminished" languages without side-lining several other languages? The answer to these questions is quite simply that the whole load will just be dumped as usual on over-worked teachers (I refer to functioning schools)to get on with without any extra money or support. It'll all be funded by parents already crippled by excessive school fees. This Department of A & C idea is not a plan - it is a knee-jerk reaction to a political hot potato. Unrealistic promises are being made for political expediency. I feel very sorry for the teaching staff upon whom the management of this is going to fall. If the Department of A & C thinks everyone of diverse languages will be satisfied - they've got a lot to learn about education management. Now the sparks are really going to fly in schools between parents of different "diminished languages" to have theirs recognised in that school.
Piet, wrote
I am afrikaans and there is nothing worse trying to make sense of any afrikaans document, nightmare, love my language but reading it an absolute nagmerrie. So yeah, I am not worried.
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