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- Why is a gradual transition to Botswana’s languages in higher education necessary?
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Why is a gradual transition to Botswana’s languages in higher education necessary? How can it be achieved?
education in Botswana on human rights or efficiency grounds, this article argues for this need for
economic reasons, in line with the country’s vision for 2036. Further increases in enrolment in higher
education will mean that the country’s education system is stretched beyond its capacities, as shown
by benchmarking Botswana’s educational system against that of Estonia’s. A transition towards
indigenous languages is practical by using the proposed concepts of discerned and designed
languages. However, it should be based on five key principles, which are introduced in the article.
Based on a new discussion of ease and difficulty of language learning, these principles are applied
to the Botswanan situation. The article concludes that Setswana could be developed as a medium of
instruction for the great majority of people in Botswana, but that a special position is justified for...Show moreWhere other authors have argued for the need for using indigenous languages in
education in Botswana on human rights or efficiency grounds, this article argues for this need for
economic reasons, in line with the country’s vision for 2036. Further increases in enrolment in higher
education will mean that the country’s education system is stretched beyond its capacities, as shown
by benchmarking Botswana’s educational system against that of Estonia’s. A transition towards
indigenous languages is practical by using the proposed concepts of discerned and designed
languages. However, it should be based on five key principles, which are introduced in the article.
Based on a new discussion of ease and difficulty of language learning, these principles are applied
to the Botswanan situation. The article concludes that Setswana could be developed as a medium of
instruction for the great majority of people in Botswana, but that a special position is justified for the
Khoisan languages. The article ends by suggesting a number of concrete steps that should be taken
over the coming years in order to make such a transition a practical possibility.
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- All authors
- Chebanne, A.M.; Pinxteren, L.M.C. van
- Date
- 2021-11-06
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 390 - 403