Embracing the use of African languages as additional languages of teaching and learning in KwaZulu-Natal schools

Gumbi, Phephani; Ndimande-Hlongwa, Nobuhle

doi:10.1080/02572117.2015.1112999

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This is because some of the Basotho people, if not all, want their children to be taught in English in Grade R classes as indicated by the participants during interviews. People believe that knowledge of English language creates many life opportunities (Alieto 2019;Gumbi & Ndimande-Hlongwa 2015). These perceptions influence teachers' choice of the medium of instruction to be contrary to what the national IECCD policy on medium of instruction stipulates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, English as a language of teaching is mostly favoured globally by communities in which it is a first additional (second) spoken language. This is because it is believed to create opportunities for learners to achieve academic goals and better employment (Ekanjume-Ilongo 2015; Gumbi & Ndimande-Hlongwa 2015;Lenyai 2011). Moreover, English language serves as the gatekeeper for multiple opportunities used as a means for communication with the rest of the world, and people believe that the best way to learn it is to use it as a language of instruction (Alieto 2019;Brock-Utne 2012;Mashiya 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In several countries, English curriculum dominates other curricula (Vilches 2018). According to Gumbi and Ndimande-Hlongwa (2015), the languages that were used as LOLT in the colonial era in South Africa are still the dominant language of instruction in many schools despite establishment of the multilingual policy in 1996. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) stipulates that all learners have a right to be taught in their native language up to Grade 3 (Cekiso, Meyiwa & Mashige 2019;Department of Basic Education [DBE] 2011;Lenyai 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy for pre-reading skills in Lesotho

Koloti

Jita

2021

SAJCE

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Background: Over the years, the majority of the Basotho nation and many countries have known Lesotho as a country which has Sesotho and English as the only spoken languages and as medium of instruction in schools. Whereas, in reality, Lesotho has many spoken languages. Many tribes have their own spoken languages which, hitherto, have not been considered in the education sector of Lesotho.Aim: This article aimed to demonstrate the Lesotho Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy in teaching pre-reading skills.Setting: This study was conducted in Lesotho at three different schools. Three Grade R teachers were chosen and studied in their respective classrooms.Methods: Employing qualitative research methods in this study, the multiple case study research design was used to explore the reality of classroom teaching practices. Document analysis, non-participatory classroom observation and semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis were employed to generate data.Results: Teachers in early childhood education (ECE) do not implement medium of instruction policy appropriately because they are not well-informed about it.Conclusion: Grade R teachers are willing to operationalise the mother-tongue-instruction policy effectively, even though they do not have adequate knowledge of the policy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy for pre-reading skills in Lesotho

Koloti

Jita

2021

SAJCE

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“…The latter issue has resulted in delays in HIV diagnosis and care provision, false pre-clinical diagnosis, and prescription among inhabitants of local and suburban communities [9][10][11][12]. In South Africa specifically, there are several indigenous languages such as Zulu, Xhosa, Setswana, Tswana, Venda, amongst others, with Zulu and Xhosa as the most widely used languages in many rural areas [13][14][15]. In the absence of interpreters and HIV test kits, due to limited resources, English-speaking medical doctors, nurses, and foreign medical personnel, often find it difficult to efficiently communicate in Zulu and Xhosa with indigenous ethnic patients at rural clinics for HIV diagnosis [11,12,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MAVSCOT: A fuzzy logic-based HIV diagnostic system with indigenous multi-lingual interfaces for rural Africa

Oluwagbemi

Oluwagbemi²,

Jatto

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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HIV still constitutes a major public health problem in Africa, where the highest incidence and prevalence of the disease can be found in many rural areas, with multiple indigenous languages being used for communication by locals. In many rural areas of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa, for instance, the most widely used languages include Zulu and Xhosa, with only limited comprehension in English and Afrikaans. Health care practitioners for HIV diagnosis and treatment, often, cannot communicate efficiently with their indigenous ethnic patients. An informatics tool is urgently needed to facilitate these health care professionals for better communication with their patients during HIV diagnosis. Here, we apply fuzzy logic and speech technology and develop a fuzzy logic HIV diagnostic system with indigenous multi-lingual interfaces, named Multi-linguAl HIV indigenouS fuzzy logiC-based diagnOstic sysTem (MAVSCOT). This HIV multilingual informatics software can facilitate the diagnosis in underprivileged rural African communities. We provide examples on how MAVSCOT can be applied towards HIV diagnosis by using existing data from the literature. Compared to other similar tools, MAVSCOT can perform better due to its implementation of the fuzzy logic. We hope MAVSCOT would help health care practitioners working in indigenous communities of many African countries, to efficiently diagnose HIV and ultimately control its transmission.

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“…In addition, and in line with recent student-led demands to move towards more Afrocentric curricula, the study aims to compare the results for Afrikaans and Xhosa to evaluate whether the current programme is producing graduates with competencies in both Afrikaans, a language historically used in higher education, and Xhosa, an indigenous language historically marginalised in South African universities. 20,21,22,23…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of additional language tuition in the University of Cape Town MBChB programme: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Mohamed

Roche

Claassen

2019

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

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BackgroundLanguage barriers between doctors and patients have been shown globally to negatively affect the quality of health care and infringe on basic patient rights. In response to these challenges, the Division of Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT) integrated career-oriented Afrikaans and Xhosa communication skills classes into the MBChB degree programme in 2003.AimTo measure students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the language communication skills classes in creating multilingual medical practitioners in the South African context and compare these perceptions between the Afrikaans and Xhosa courses.SettingThe study was conducted on the Health Sciences campus of the University of Cape Town, South Africa.MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional survey. During March 2017, access to an online structured questionnaire was provided to 600 randomly selected medical students from second to sixth year at the UCT.ResultsThe response rate was 43.7%, and students reported a much higher baseline level of Afrikaans compared to Xhosa (99.0% vs. 42.7%). Respondents reported a lack of confidence in the clinical sphere for both languages (Afrikaans 51.5%; Xhosa 60.0%) and a lack of communicative ability (Afrikaans 35.3%; Xhosa 67.2%) as major barriers to patient communication.ConclusionsRespondents overwhelmingly agreed that second language learning is valuable for their future as medical practitioners, but did not feel that they are developing sufficient communicative competence. The courses need to be re-evaluated to account for the lower level of pre-MBChB Xhosa exposure, as compared to Afrikaans. Increased time allocated to languages, increased attention to cultural issues and informal variants, and redesigning assessments to better reflect students’ abilities are all potential recommendations.

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Embracing the use of African languages as additional languages of teaching and learning in KwaZulu-Natal schools

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy for pre-reading skills in Lesotho

Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy for pre-reading skills in Lesotho

MAVSCOT: A fuzzy logic-based HIV diagnostic system with indigenous multi-lingual interfaces for rural Africa

Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of additional language tuition in the University of Cape Town MBChB programme: A descriptive cross-sectional study

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