Search

This paper reports one of the findings of a study that was conducted to determine strategies that can be used to promote the use of indigenous African languages as languages of teaching and learning in South African schools. The problem that I sought to address was the lack of or insufficient use of indigenous African languages for teaching and learning in the South African education system, despite these languages being constitutionally recognised as official languages in the country since 1994. The study was conducted against the background of existing research both locally and internationally, which highlights the negative effects of offering education in a language that is not the learner's first language or mother tongue. It was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, one of the nine provinces of the Republic of South Africa, in which isiZulu is the predominant indigenous African language. Participants included a random sample of educators from primary schools and high schools, a random sample of language and education specialists in institutions of higher learning found in the province, as well as a random sample of learners in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. Questionnaires, an observation schedule, and focus group interviews were used to collect data for the study. As part of the literature review, language policies formulated after the adoption of the new constitution in 1994, in particular the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) of 1997, were reviewed to determine their contribution to the language provision dilemmas suffered by indigenous African languages in teaching and learning. This paper reports on one of the effects that language provisions made in the LiEP seem to have had, which manifests as a lack of competence in both the language of teaching and learning and in the home (native) language among most black learners, a condition that has been termed "semilingualism" by some scholars. The implications of this phenomenon for language in teaching and learning are also highlighted. The paper concludes by making suggestions for a need to revise the LiEP to help overcome this emergent problem and improve the use of indigenous African languages in teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the domains of economics and public policy studies, there has been a sturdy increase in the literature on the role played by immigrants (within the premise of this study, unskilled immigrants) in the development of South Africa, especially from an economic perspective. Examining literature related to African migrants in South Africa and their economic contribution, this paper sought to understand whether (un)skilled immigrants contribute to South Africa's economic development. Amongst the findings of the paper, it was revealed that despite the contribution of (un)skilled immigrants to the South African economy, especially since the fall of apartheid (evident by the different types of informal businesses they run: barbershops, restaurants, vehicle repair shops and salons, to mention a few), their constant struggle to navigate the xenophobic sentiments within South African society is hindering their integration within their respective communities. Nonetheless, despite these challenges, informal businesses by unskilled migrants have become an economic lifeline for those making a living in the informal sector. Central to this has been that they create employment and partake in the transfer of skills and business acumen to their South African employees. Despite their contribution, the role of migrants within the premise of economic contribution has not been welcomed, rather immigrants have been associated with crime and drug smuggling. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to understand how migrants contribute to South Africa's socio-economic development despite the many challenges they encounter in their quest to integrate within South African society. The study argues that immigrants have contributed to the growth and development of South Africa's informal sector and with their contribution, contrary to the popular belief that they steal jobs, has created employment and allowed for the transfer of skills to their South African employees. The study, however, acknowledges that from a government perspective, more needs to be done to assist migrants to integrate within South African society and with the development of their businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]