Mpho Koka
The North-West University (NWU) concluded its review process of the language policy of the institution by adopting a functional multilingual policy. This process lasted from April to November 2018.
Vice Chancellor (VC) of the NWU, Professor Dan Kgwadi, confirmed this adoption in a meeting with student representatives of the NWU’s Potchefstroom campus. The language policy review process of the NWU was finalised on 22 November 2018.
The student representatives present included the Student Campus Council (SCC), SCC: Executive Committees, chairpersons of all Academic Student Societies, 28 Hostel Committees, and chairpersons of all political societies on campus.
According to the new language policy, functional multilingualism means that the choice of a particular language in a particular situation is determined by the situation or context in which it is used.
The VC stressed that no student of the NWU must feel excluded in the classroom.
He said the new language policy was meant to ensure all students of the NWU across its three campuses (Potchefstroom, Mahikeng & Vaal Triangle) get a sense of belonging at the institution.
Commenting on the adoption of the new language policy, one student who identifies themselves as white and an Afrikaner, Gene Willemse (21), studying pharmacy, said: “I am happy that the NWU did not scrap Afrikaans as a medium of instruction because this is the only institution in South Africa where I can still study in Afrikaans.”
An Indian student, Hassan Varachia (27), studying chemical engineering, said that he doesn’t understand why the NWU doesn’t make English the primary medium of instruction, seeing that it is a global language understood by almost everyone.
A black student, Tshidiso Taeli (20), studying law, said that he does not understand why interpretation services are still being used by the NWU, and why parallel medium instruction of having both Afrikaans and English has not been fully introduced, respectively.
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