Educational Decolonisation and Decolonising Education? Recent developments of Language Policies in selected countries of the SADC-region

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Abstract Summary

Despite the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their focus on quality and meaningful education the majority of African pupils are still excluded. Such exclusion is mainly caused by language barriers. African countries use predominantly previous colonial languages. Recent developments indicate that African Languages are being increasingly incorporated in the educational process throughout the SADC-region. The question remains if such changes are limited to lip-services, minor superficial language policy changes or if a change of mind-set and real inclusive language in education policy will establish. Biased language attitudes remain a major obstacle to implement an inclusive language policy. Therefore, a pure focus on language rights will not be sufficient, but rather the bigger picture needs to be taken into consideration. If African Languages can be used at workplaces, then pupils and parents see a necessity for learning African Languages. This study focuses on own field work at hundreds of schools in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi and South Africa offering a multiplicity of data concerning daily language practices at public schools. Hence, this research aims to show recent changes in language attitudes, daily language practices with inclusive translanguaging practices at schools and modest or even significant shifts in language policies.

Submission ID :

AILA1190

Submission Type

Oral Presentation

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[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?

Argument :

'Africa is the only continent where the majority of children start schooling using a foreign language' (unesco, 2010). This statement from the UNESCO clearly shows the disadvantaging and unique schooling conditions for African pupils. This education through a 'foreign' language has generally been quite
common for all countries of the Global South with its negative consequences, as documented by many scholars such as Heugh (2003), Brock-Utne (2005) and Alexander (2012). Nevertheless, recent developments seem to show that African Languages are being incorporated in the educational process throughout the sadc-region. Such developments are further supported by focusing more strongly on aspects such as inclusive education as well as qualitative aspects of education instead of pure enrolment numbers. The Sustainable Development Goals (sdg s) focus under number 4 on 'Quality Education' and more specifically under target 4.5.2 on the percentage of pupils being taught in their first language (unesco, 2021) is supportive of such a mother tongue based pedagogic approach. Despite such developments in practice there is an overarching development of monolingualism in African education, but at the same time much translanguaging through usage of African Languages appear (Kretzer 2022). Pupils will only favour African Languages if they realise how important they are for meaning making and how knowledge of them can help for employment and in workplaces. As long as African Languages are not seen or connected with positive attitudes currently associated with English, then the policy directives remain futile and many bottom-up initiatives will unfortunately not have a real impact. Languages need to be seen as a relevant resource and they should have market value.

Bibliography:

Alexander, Neville. 2012. English unassailable but unattainable: The dilemma of language policy in South African education. praesa Occasional Papers No. 3. Cape Town: praesa.

Brock-Utne, Birgit. 2005. Language-in-education policies and practices in Africa with a special focus on Tanzania and South Africa-Insights from research in progress. In Lin, A.M.Y & P.W. Martin. (eds.). Decolonisation, globalisation: Language-in- Education policy and practice. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Heugh, Kathleen. 2003. Language policy and democracy in South Africa. Centre for Research on Bilingualism, Stockholm University: Stockholm University Press.

Kretzer, Michael M. 2022. Wenn Sprache Bildung verhindert: Sprachenpolitik im Bildungssystem
Südafrikas. Eine Untersuchung in den Provinzen Gauteng, Limpopo und North West. Darmstadt: wbg Academic.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco). 2021. Official List of sdg 4 Indicators. September 2021[Online] Available from: http://tcg.uis.unesco.org/wp‑content/uploads/sites/4/2020/09/SDG4_indicator_list.pdf [Accessed 11th December 2021].

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco). 2010. Why and how Africa should invest in African languages and multilingual education An evidence- and practice-based policy advocacy brief, [Online] Available from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000188642 [Accessed 25 April 2020].