Patrimonio neto

African language speakers have been made to believe that the status of their

language is below that of English. This perception has discouraged and

influenced negatively literate Africans from speaking, taking their languages

as a course at schools, and developing those languages. One student who

was interviewed said that she was told at a former model C school that she

was not civilized if she could not speak English and isiXhosa is a language

of ‘lower status’.

Other students said they were severely punished when they were caught

African Language Board and the Commission for the Promotional and

Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities

that protect and promote the African languages by introducing events like

heritage day.

Section 6 par. (2) of the South African Constitution of (1996:2) states that:

Recognizing the historically diminished use and status of the

indigenous languages of our people, the state must take practical and

positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these

languages.

Government is using these tools, especially education, to restore the dignity

of the African languages. Section 29 par,(2) of the South African

Constitution states that everyone has the right to receive education in the

official language or language of their choice in public educational

institutions where the education is reasonably practicable.

This constitutional right gives African children a right to choose to be taught

parents prefer English medium schools and institutions for their children, so

that they can look forward to a “better future”. (Granville et al, 1997:7) say:

It would be a mistake to assume that parents are simply naïve or

misinformed in recognizing the value and importance of

English as if its only power were symbolic power. South

African parents believe correctly, however unfortunate this may

be, that English also has material power. It provides entry to the

middle class jobs and to middle class pays tickets.

Granville et al (1998) also believe that children should be given education in

the language that has material power in order to shape their future. If the

African languages are not the languages of power, then the speakers of these

languages should be allowed to empower themselves in the language of

power, which is in this case English. This poses a challenge to the Africans

to empower their languages in all respects and thereby encourage interest in

African languages.

African languages were historically disadvantaged by the previous South

1994. Kaschula & Anthonissen (1995) say ironically, however, the

recognition of 11 (9 African) official languages today is a direct result of the

implementation of Apartheid policies to facilitate the ideas of separate

homelands, in each of which a different indigenous African language

became the official language alongside English.

In predominantly black schools, especially those located in rural areas,

African languages continue to be used as the medium of instruction for the

first four years of primary school, much as they were in the apartheid era.

However, recent trends in language education suggest that in these schools,

even where no qualified English teachers are available, English is

increasingly being used, in whatever form, as the medium of instruction

from grade one onwards.

Preference for English as a medium of instruction is mainly due to economic

considerations. As Bendor-Samuel quoted in (Eggington and Baldauf,

1990:100) points out, a language must ‘fill a hole’ in the community for the

Accordingly most black parents are opting for English medium education

from day one of schooling because of the instrumental value of the language.

They consider education in an African language as miseducation and

useless, for it has no cachet in the broader socioeconomic and political

context.

Along these lines black parents who can afford to do so send their children

to formerly white schools to expose them early to English and quality

education, since these schools remain the best equipped both in terms of

facilities and teacher qualification. This state of affairs has not helped the

new language policy to achieve its goal of promoting multilingualism in

education.

On the contrary even in predominantly black schools, there seems to be a

general trend towards the use of English as the sole medium of instruction

from grade one onwards. The question arises; how does one promote

multilingualism in education if African languages are not used as a medium

There are eleven official languages in South Africa. National and provincial

governments must use at least two official languages for their business and

the State has to take positive steps to advance the use of all official

languages. That is according to Section 29 and 30 of the Bill of Rights.

Looking at languages actually used in official, educational and social

settings, English is by far the most utilized prestigious language in South

Africa, a language not representing the actual majority of indigenous African

speakers. This situation will prevail if African language speakers do not take

action in order to value and empower their languages.

According to Bamgbose language mainly has three objectives in education,

namely literacy, medium of instruction and subject. Msimang (1992 :41)

with regard to Bamgbose’s view reasons that the school is still the best place

to develop and maintain a language. Msimang’s statement is in agreement

with the LANGTAG report DACST (1996:70) which states that the

education system is the main mechanism used to spread the developed form

The underlying principle is to maintain home language(s) while providing

access to the effective acquisition of additional language(s) and the right to

choose the language of learning and teaching is vested in the individual.

(Education Policy Document, July 14 1999.) Everyone has a right to

education in the official language of their choice, where reasonably possible

and all people have the right to use their own language.

In South Africa languages are officially still used in many black schools as

language of instruction for at least the first four years. However, in practice

the African languages are presently being used to an ever lesser extent in

such schools, since parents prefer that their children be educated in English.

African parents and learners have a low regard for their national languages,

since African parents prefer to communicate with their children in English.

This is largely due to previous colonial educational policies. The only way in

which the African languages can develop is at the grass roots level through

education. Therefore the use of primary languages as “Language(s) of

learning and Teaching” (LOLT) at all levels of schooling is to be

The Language in Education Implementation Plan (LIEIP) in DOE (1997)

states that a way in which to redress the underdevelopment of the African

languages is to stop favouring the previous colonial languages. This means

that speakers of these languages should start valuing their own languages as

languages of empowerment.

The LIEIP, DOE (1997) further states that the language development of the

national languages can only be achieved through the integration of own

language learning into all learning process, irrespective of the subject taught.

4.5 The role of isiXhosa educators and students in the development of