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.

Editor's Comment
Justice delayed is trust denied

Batswana who marched peacefully for 'Justice for Tshepi' demanded answers. They have now received a detailed account of police investigation and a promise that the file is with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The real test is whether the state now keeps its word without further prodding. In his address, the minister asked the nation to trust the process. He spoke of rigour, not neglect, and pointed to 10 months of...

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