Speaking to SABC Digital News, Monareng says there are governmental policies to support the development of languages; however they are not being given enough space to operate within an official context. “For example, a policy or an Act written in English, you are told the English version is the official one and signed by the president.”
The systems that are in place retard this implementation, he adds.
On the issue of the possible inclusion of Mandarin into the school curriculum, he says it is new knowledge and is a good move as SA is a multilingual country. He however says the contentious issue is how the possible inclusion is given a stage as compared to other languages. “When other languages were introduced, there were no statements from the Department of Education.”
Click below to listen to Dr Monareng:
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education Troy Martens has reiterated that the introduction of Mandarin will in no way infringe on South African languages, it is third optional language.
Click below to listen to Martens:
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