BACKGROUND

The Universities South Africa (USAf), through its Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL), is working with universities towards the implementation of the DHET’s New Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions.

The importance of promoting multilingualism and situating African languages at the centre of the academy to drive the sector priorities of institutional transformation, epistemic access and student success formed the founding ideals of the Vice-Chancellors Colloquium.

PROCESS TO DATE

Following robust engagements, USAf, organised the first, in a three-part series, of the Vice- Chancellors Colloquia to discuss the new Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions, with the aim of improving student access and success through the decolonisation of the curriculum in our higher education institutions. This event was hosted by Stellenbosch University and the USAf COPAL on 28-29 September 2021. Further information on this event is available on the USAf website at: https://www.usaf.ac.za/copal-colloquium-on-the-new-language-policy- framework-for-higher-education-september-2021/

LANGUAGE RESOURCE AUDIT REQUEST

One of the central outcomes of the inaugural VC Colloquium was for the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), a strategic national Research Infrastructure under the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR), to conduct a comprehensive language resources audit across all the public universities. The language resources audit will inter alia access the resources the universities require to implement the new framework.

THE BROAD OBJECTIVES OF THIS AUDIT ARE TO:

a) Define the range of resources that are required for the implementation of a language policy framework.

b) Identify resources that are available in your institution to enable the implementation of a language policy framework.

c) Identify milestones in the successful implementation of your institutional language policy.

This Language Resource Audit was further endorsed by the USAf Board (Vice-Chancellors) at its meeting on 14 June 2022.

PARTICIPANTS WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN EVENT

Management staff and students interested in language resources audit are encouraged to participate and have their opinions heard.

Participation in the event is FREE.

Please register before or on 31 May 2023

Kindly direct any enquiries regarding the audit to:

Ms Lebogang Boemo - Project Manager: SADiLaR

North West University

languageaudit@sadilar.org

018 285 2788

USAf Supported Language Resource Audit- UFS