Multicultural education respects cultural differences and affirms pluralism which students, their communities and teachers bring to the learning process. It is founded on the belief that a school curriculum which promotes the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity and human dignity is most likely to result in high academic achievement and quality education. In Botswana, English is the official language and medium of instruction and Setswana is the national lingua franca which is used for formal occasions in the villages and other informal settings. Any other languages spoken by unrecognised tribes are banned from use in schools or the media, including minority languages taught before independence in 1966, This paper describes the Shiyeyi Language Project, initiated by the Wayeyi tribe, which advocates for a multicultural model of education where children learn in their mother tongue and about their local culture at an early stage, then add the national language, and eventually an international language as medium of instruction. The project operates within an unfriendly political and legal context, but has achieved some results. Continued efforts, especially as supported by similar language projects, have the potential to change the situation in Botswana.Keywords Endangered language Á Discrimination Á Development strategy Á Formal and non-formal education Á Diversity as a resource Á Multilingualism Á Multiculturalism Á Shiyeyi Résumé Projet de sensibilisation à l'éducation multiculturelle : le cas de la langue shiyeyi au Botwana -L'éducation multiculturelle respecte les différences culturelles et soutient le pluralisme que les apprenants, leurs communautés et enseignants apportent dans le processus éducatif. Elle repose sur la conviction qu'un programme scolaire qui défend les idéaux de liberté, de justice, d'égalité, d'équité et de dignité humaine a le plus de chances d'engendrer des résultats universitaires élevés et une éducation de qualité. Au Botswana, l'anglais est la langue officielle et le moyen d'instruction, le setswana la langue véhiculaire nationale, qui est utilisée dans les villages lors d'événements officiels et dans d'autres situations informelles. Toutes les autres langues parlées par les tribus non reconnues sont interdites dans les écoles et les médias, y compris les langues minoritaires enseignées avant l'indépendance en 1966. Cet article décrit le Projet langue shiyeyi (Shiyeyi Language Project, SLP) mis en place par la tribu Wayeyi, qui plaide pour un modèle éducatif multiculturel. Cette approche instruit les enfants à un stade précoce dans leur langue maternelle et sur leur culture locale, puis ajoute la langue nationale et éventuellement une langue internationale comme langues d'enseignement. Le projet oeuvre dans un contexte politique et juridique hostile, mais a obtenu un certain nombre de résultats. La poursuite de cet effort, notamment avec le soutien de projets linguistiques similaires, renferme le potentiel de faire évoluer la situation au Botswana.Zusammenfassung Ein Projekt zu...

This paper presents findings on a case study of how the language in education policy was being implemented at Muzi Primary School. To provide the context, a description of the development of the language in education policy from independence to present period is provided. The study aimed to address the following questions: 1. What factors did teachers perceive to contribute to the low performance of the school? 2. What role did language of instruction play in the learning process? 3. What attitudes were portrayed or displayed by teachers and how did these affect learning? 4. What were the implications of findings to nation-building, democracy, and social integration? The paper argues that the language policy, which promoted monolingualism, was a failure to acknowledge reality and an impediment to learning, a negation of democratic principles and a hinderance to social integration. The school context demonstrated how the education policy fostered monolingualism in a multilingual context and this negatively impacted on learning.

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<p>The African Union has been committed to the development and promotion of African languages for a long time. This is in cognizance of the fact that, language is the DNA of culture and its vehicle of expression. The Languages Plan of Action which was first adopted in 1986 and reviewed in 2006 outlines clear goals to be achieved by member states in the promotion and recognition of African languages. The Plan for all its intents and purposes has good will for the development and use of African languages in critical social domains such as education, trade, government and media. The Policy Guide on the Integration of African Languages and Cultures into the Education systems adopted in 2010 and Aspirations 3 and 5 on Agenda 2063 are clear examples of such good intentions.  On the other hand, practice continues to show very little, if any, improvement in the development and use of African languages in these critical domains. Scholars have explored several reasons why African languages continue to have low socio-economic status (Bamgbose (2011), Batibo (2013), Nyati-Ramahobo (2011), Chebanne, 2010). Globalization and urbanization have been described to be among the many factors responsible for this state of affairs. This paper aims to explore these two factors to see how they contribute to language under-utilization and the inherent loss of African languages.  Are globalization and urbanization by nature detrimental to language diversity resulting in language loss? The paper concludes that urbanization and globalization are facilitators of language and cultural diversity. However, it is policy frameworks operating on and in Africa which shape values and attitudes against the use of African languages. These policy frameworks are politically driven by multi-national corporations for economic exploitation of Africa.</p>