Progress and challenges for language policy implementation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Ndimande-Hlongwa, Nobuhle; Balfour, Robert J.; Mkhize, Nhlanhla; Engelbrecht, Charlotte

doi:10.1080/09571736.2010.511788

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…UKZN is perceived as one of the premier universities in South Africa that aims to spearhead transformation and change (Ndimande-Hlongwa, Balfour, Mhize and Engelbrecht 2010). The UKZN language policy states 'the need to achieve for Zulu the institutional and academic status of English" and promises "facilities to enable the use of Zulu as a language of learning, instruction and administration' as well as 'the need to foster research in language planning and development'.…”

Section: Brief Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divided loyalties: Zulu vis-à-vis English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Rudwick

Parmegiani

2013

Language Matters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is located in a province in South Africa where almost 80 per cent of the population speaks Zulu as first language (L1). It is one of the few tertiary institutions in the country where tangible steps have been taken toward incorporating an African language for academic purposes. In this article, the authors examine the attitudes towards Zulu vis-à-vis English among first-year UKZN students through a qualitative approach of two research periods. While the first set of interview data captures students' attitudes towards Zulu and English at UKZN more generally, the second set of interview data includes perceptions towards UKZN's language policy. This policy will introduce Zulu as a compulsory subject for all undergraduate students starting from 2014, and aims to develop this language as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Despite widespread support among Zulu-speaking students for the new UKZN language policy per se, many of them report not wanting to study in their mother tongue. The article sheds some light on the reasons that lie behind this apparent contradiction.

show abstract

Section: Brief Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divided loyalties: Zulu vis-à-vis English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Rudwick

Parmegiani

2013

Language Matters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Their insufficient knowledge regarding the content and rationale behind the national and institutional language policies for education seemed to have a great influence on how they perceived the value of bilingual instruction. Negative perspectives reported in the media also display the students' and community's lack of understanding of the entire contents of the national and institutional policies (Ndimande-Hlongwa et al, 2010;Rudwick, 2015;Taunyane, 2013). Policy evaluation needs to gauge the effectiveness of the communication of UKZN's policy with all its stakeholders within the institution and in the wider community.…”

Section: Recommendations For Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If one systematically compares the way arguments in support of, and against, the use of ISALs in higher education are differentially presented, the opposing ideological beliefs that underpin each side become clearer. Arguments for the inclusion of ISALs generally aim to highlight pedagogical theories about the role of language in learning as well as the tenets of a truly decolonised and democratic state (Cummins, 1980(Cummins, , 2000Heugh, 2000;Ndimande-Hlongwa, Balfour, Mkhize, & Engelbrecht, 2010;Skutnabb-Kangas, 2009). Arguments against the inclusion of ISALs, including those of black South African higher education students, seem to echo utterances of the colonial and apartheid eras (Alexander, 2001;Department of Bantu Education, 1962;Elliott & Gurrey, 1940;Reagan, 1987;van Dyk, 1967).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of ideology on black African students' perceptions of the University of KwaZulu-Natal's bilingual policy

Madlala

Mkhize

2019

Journal of Education

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The authors' chosen theoretical framework posits that how black students perceive bilingual instruction in higher education is largely influenced by the various ideological perspectives they have been socialised into in different contexts where African languages are used, and continue to be diminished, for different objectives. Through individual interviews, the study explored which ideological frameworks participants drew on when discussing their general perspectives on, as well as perceived benefits and challenges of, bilingual instruction at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. They were also asked what their recommendations for the policy's implementation process were. The students who had experienced bilingual instruction explained how they started better understanding the content of their studies as well as the meaning of previously difficult English concepts. Students who had not experienced bilingual instruction mainly discussed how they thought the use of isiZulu could facilitate better understanding primarily for students who struggle to understand English. However, they warned that an extended use of isiZulu would hinder upward socioeconomic mobility for graduates who struggle to communicate in English. In light of the study's findings and the conflicting ideologies shared in South Africa, the authors recommend that when planning their respective implementation processes for bi/multilingual instruction for higher education, national and institutional policymakers should consider students' various ways of perceiving languages' differential levels of use and esteem and how this could influence their conceptions of academic objectives.

show abstract

“…Food Security Programme in 2012 to address food insecurity among students from low-income households. UKZN is also leading the institutionalisation of isiZulu and shifting it to the centre of intellectual inquiry in SAHE(Khumalo, 2016) Ndimande-Hlongwa et al (2010). asserted that students enrolled in isiZulu courses at UKZN are well-equipped to engage with the communities they serve in the university's locality.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-based learning in higher education: A portal for knowledge production in the time of COVID-19

Thabethe

Reddy

2021

J. educ. (Univ. KwaZulu-natal)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

At the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, the world-renowned writer and political activist, Arundhati Roy, signalled that the pandemic is "a portal, a gateway between one world and the next . . . [and] we can choose to walk through it." Roy's views highlight how we can imagine our world anew through reflection in the time of COVID-19. In this article, we examine the epistemological experiences of students enrolled in a course in community-based learning (CBL) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and consider how CBL during COVID-19 serves as a portal for understanding knowledge that is produced at the nexus between the university and the community. We deemed the Community of Inquiry framework to be a suitable theoretical lens based on its appreciation of the nexus between social (community), teaching (classroom), and cognitive (critical thinking) elements in an online educational experience. Our findings indicate that COVID-19 provides an opportunity for CBL to serve as a portal for understanding how the students' epistemological experiences during the pandemic influenced knowledge production. This is beneficial since university education most often places at the periphery knowledge that students from the surrounding communities bring to the classroom. It is our contention that students bring epistemic value to the university that is not affirmed during the knowledge production process. We conclude that CBL can indeed serve as the gateway for knowledge production between universities and communities during and beyond COVID-19.

show abstract

Progress and challenges for language policy implementation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

Divided loyalties: Zulu vis-à-vis English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Divided loyalties: Zulu vis-à-vis English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

The influence of ideology on black African students' perceptions of the University of KwaZulu-Natal's bilingual policy

Community-based learning in higher education: A portal for knowledge production in the time of COVID-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About