The Stellenbosch University Council approved the Language Policy (2021) for implementation from 2022. The final draft of the University’s proposed new Language Policy (2021) was tabled at Council’s final meeting of the year on 2 December 2021 after it had been approved and recommended to Council by the Institutional Forum (12 November) and Senate (26 November) at their respective meetings in November.
Section 27(2) of the Higher Education Act (Act No 101 of 1997, as amended) and the Stellenbosch University Statute (2019) stipulate that the SU Council must determine the institution's language policy with the concurrence of Senate. It is the only policy that requires the concurrence of Senate as a prerequisite for Council’s approval.
The process for the Language Policy revision was initiated in October 2020. Since the Language Policy (2016) had passed the Constitutional Court muster in 2019, the Language Policy Revision Task Team used the 2016 policy as point of departure. The task team consisted of representatives of SU's ten faculties, its professional and administrative support services and student representatives, with technical experts co-opted as necessary.
The revision process included 24 task team meetings, and two public participation phases, as well as three rounds of comprehensive consultation with the Rectorate, faculty boards, Senate, the Institutional Forum and Council.
Purpose and foundational principles
The purpose of the language policy is to regulate, manage and govern language use in all aspects of the institution. The three foundational principles of the Language Policy (2021) determine that SU regards multilingualism as a
resource; that language should
broaden access and
enhance success; and that the policy and its implementation should facilitate
pedagogically sound learning and teaching.
At SU multilingualism relates to institutional and individual multilingualism, but also includes multilingualism as a means to promote inclusivity and an appreciation of the value of diversity. It extends beyond creating spaces and structures for the use of multiple languages in academic, administrative and social contexts, or individuals’ willingness to learn multiple languages.
Multilingualism also reflects an attitude, or mindset, that SU would like to foster within our campus community. This mindset is put into practice at ceremonial occasions, such as the welcoming event for first-year students and graduation ceremonies, where Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa will be used; at meetings and social gatherings where translanguaging* will occur spontaneously with mutual respect and tolerance for varying language proficiencies; where an individual is eager to learn additional languages; and in the lecture hall where lecturers, lecturing assistants, interpreters and students take co-responsibility for multilingualism by assisting others to understand the academic content.
While it is important to create spaces for students to engage informally via translanguaging in the classroom, there are also pedagogical reasons for students to use the academic and technical terminology at a higher education institution.
The Policy determines the following:
“Without losing sight of the fact that SU serves continental and global communities, we commit ourselves to multilingualism by using the three official languages of the Western Cape, namely Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa.”
* Translanguaging is an umbrella term for a context in which multilingual persons use the linguistic resources at their disposal to engage with one another and with texts to create meaning. In a classroom context, the purpose is to deepen learning using a variety of strategies, including (but not limited to) code switching, translation practices, co-languaging and interpreting, without any attempt to limit communication or engagement with text to one language or variety of a language.