ETD Collection

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    Editorial Policies and the development of isiXhosa :how is isiXhosa being developed in post-Apartheid South Africa by Private Print Media Institutions
    (2018) Njeje, Mbuyekezo
    The Maintenance and Revival of isiXhosa print media in South Africa has been left to conglomerate media companies that do not have editorial policies that address their development. These companies are preserving isiXhosa the language they invest in isiXhosa print media to make money of the language. The development of the language is not catered for they are in the business of copies of magazines and newspapers. However, they should not be faulted for this area of indigenous language print media has long been neglected by black business men. From the history of African language print media it shows that this media is sustainably profitable if one is to look at purely the side of media. Ilanga lase Natal is testament to that it is now 116 years the paper has been in print it change ownership several times but that did not prompt the paper to cease existing. This is what unfortunately has happened to isiXhosa newspapers that were famous and influential in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It seems that once they got into the exchange of ownership conflict would ensue this is probably because they were very influential politically and everybody was interested in controlling its audience. Now isiXhosa finds itself to be at the mercy of media companies that are English and Afrikaans language oriented and inclined whose policies only recognize the two languages. In this situation isiXhosa finds itself to be and becomes an artificial minority language in these institutions. This is not to say that if maybe a BEE consortium was to invest in the isiXhosa language print media they were not going to be profit and sales oriented. However, they would be inclined in paying attention to the development of language rather language preservation. The reference to BEE business men in the paper should be understood in relation to the state abandonment and spectacular stagnation of isiXhosa print media and therefor the language of isiXhosa.
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    Analysis of the constraints to the realization of the aims of the language in-Education policy of South Africa
    (2018) Chitapi, Itai
    The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) of 1997 was created to contribute to the transformation of the education sector and of South Africa as a whole, through its promotion of the recognition and use of African languages that were marginalised during the apartheid era. The mechanism of additive bilingualism was identified as the key to achieving the goals of quality education and equitable treatment within a pragmatic framework. However, two decades on, LiEP has not been effectively implemented, nor does its implementation appear imminent. Spolsky’s (2004) framework posits that language policy functions at three levels: ideology, management and practice. Applying this framework, and using a combination of novel documentary analysis of the LiEP itself and eight in-depth expert interviews, this study examines the constraints that have limited implementation of the LiEP. The constraints within the LiEP policy text itself include the ideological separation of education from Black Economic Empowerment; and the policy management decisions within the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to ignore curriculum planning, and to postpone the completion of the LiEP document and regulations. The constraints arising out of the “public” expression of language policy within and beyond the education sector occur at all three levels. At ideological level, constraints include the lack of a unified ideological position within the DBE, and the side-lining of the LiEP by the DBE. At management level, public attitudes against the extended use of African languages are a critical constraint. Inadequate resourcing of the ‘multilingual project’, in terms of teacher and materials development, is a further constraint limiting LiEP implementation. At practice levels, the ongoing hegemony of English and the related collusive practice of elite closure continue to thwart LiEP implementation. The completion of the LiEP, its integration into the DBE’s main programmes and its overt promotion within and beyond education are the key recommendations. These policy management steps should be aligned explicitly and directly with economic empowerment initiatives and imperatives.
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    Assessing challenges faced by school governing bodies in formulating a language policy in a rural primary school in Butterworth
    (2011) Ntlangano, T E
    The promulgation of the South African Schools Act in 1996 led to the decentralisation of the governance of schools in South Africa through the establishment of School Governing Bodies (SGB). The SGB represents all the stakeholders namely parents, teachers, students and the state,and is expected to craft the vision, mission and policies of a school among its key responsibilities. Among the key policies they need to craft is the language policy of a school which is critical for academic achievement by the students. The study aims to assess the challenges faced by SGB parent governors in formulating a language policy in a rural primary school in Butterworth Education District in the Eastern Cape. A qualitative research approach was pursued in the study through a constructivist paradigm. A rural primary school was chosen as a case study and data was collected by using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The South African Schools’ Act empowers the parent component of the SGB to have a final say in governance and policy matters of the school due to its majority membership however the study has confirmed what the literature says that the parental participation in SGB activities tends to be limited. The study has found that this poor parental participation in SGB activities is due to low level of education, poor training by the Department of Basic Education and lack of support from stakeholders. According to the Departmental officials the scarcity of financial resources has led to very few training workshops being organised SGB members.