Indaba seeks to strengthen language policy
STEER MULTILINGUAL POLICIES: Lecturer in the African Languages Department at University of Cape Town, Somi Deyi and Language Specialist: isiXhosa, Nomxolisi Jantjies at the annual Institutional Language Indaba.
Friday, 06 October 2023
As mandated by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to drive multilingual policies, the Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) Language Unit recently hosted the annual Institutional Language Indaba at South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC).
The Language Indaba is a space where valuable ideas are shared on matters relating to the University’s Language Policy and its implementation. The Institutional Language Coordinator, Dr Kabelo Sebolai stated that in current times, universities across South Africa are mandated by the DHET) to steer multilingual policies. “Key to this, is the expectation by DHET that universities work towards ensuring that indigenous languages are empowered to become languages of teaching and learning,” Sebolai remarked.
He added that this year’s Indaba was a much better success than last year’s, especially in terms of attendance by members of the CPUT community, “although we managed to get only one of the two external speakers we had invited to attend”. It was also a success in terms of the discussion it generated among the attendees.”
Language Coordinator: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ignatius Ticha, showcased the strides made inside CPUT in general and the Faculty of Applied Sciences in particular, with regard to language development which attracted a lot of interest from the audience and generated a lot of debate as well. Keynote speaker, a sociolinguist and currently a lecturer in the African Languages Department at University of Cape Town, Somi Deyi’s presentation on how existing isiXhosa resources have been and should continue to be digitised “was very informative”.
Written by Aphiwe Boyce
Email: BoyceAp@cput.ac.za
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