'African languages in crisis'
15/03/2005 13:57  - (SA)  

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Johannesburg - A crisis is looming in the country regarding the preservation, maintenance and identity of South Africa's indigenous African tongues.

This is according to a framework report on the development of these languages in higher education, presented to Education Minister Naledi Pandor on Tuesday.

Put together by a specialist team led by the University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Professor Njabulo Ndebele, it recommended "well-co-ordinated, long-range national plan to provide adequate resources and support for indigenous African languages".

Pandor's spokesperson Tommy Makhode said: "The Ministry is studying the report and will, in due course, indicate the key areas to be pursued."

It pointed out that the objective to develop official indigenous languages as mediums of instruction in higher education required systemic undergirding by the entire schooling system.

It read: "Also needed was the enhanced public and social use of these languages in the daily lives of South Africans."

However, the report acknowledged that declining numbers of students wished to study African languages, resulting in the closing down of African language departments in a number of higher education institutions.

It further recommended that each higher education institution should be required to identify an indigenous African language of choice for initial development as a medium of instruction.

"Higher education institutions could adopt a regional approach by taking collective decisions on areas of speciality to be targeted for teaching.

- SAPA

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