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A case for language Renaissance

The other day, I asked my friends why the African child must struggle with a lingual code in order to access knowledge. At the risk of sounding like a pseudo Pan Africanist with colonial baggage, it is a big deal with me that knowledge, in particular science and law, are encrypted in a foreign code and that as Africans, we must learn such foreign codes before we can lay claim scientific progress.

I was a teacher during my national service days and can vividly remember instances where children, at Standard 7, struggled to acquire basic knowledge because they simply could not surmount the English language.

I am not talking about kids who have a language disability. I am talking about kids who spoke Setswana fluently. I have met teachers and people from almost every other profession who have challenges with the same language.

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Editor's Comment
DIS must correct costly stalemate

More than P8.1 million has already been spent, yet there appears to be no lasting solution in sight. This is not simply a dispute between the DIS and a group of officers. It is a matter of public accountability. Every pula spent by government comes from taxpayers who expect public funds to be used wisely and responsibly, especially during economic hardships faced by many.The officers exercised their constitutional right to seek justice through...

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