Collaboration between content lecturers and their language counterparts can improve learning and teaching.

The role of content lecturers in teaching of language and literacies was discussed robustly at a Language Indaba held recently by the Language Working Group in collaboration with Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development’s Language Unit on the Bellville Campus.

This developmental initiative by CPUT was not only meant to initiate the interests of academics in the domain of Multilingualism in Higher Education and language development but also meant to explore a progressive dialogue in relation to viable strategies and possible interventions that could improve access to learning and possibly contribute to effective teaching.

“All lecturers should be of the view that they have responsibility to contribute to language teaching for betterment of their students,” says Nomxolisi Jantjies, Xhosa Language Specialist at CPUT.

“Therefore, the multi-literacies students bring with them should not only be seen as a challenge or hindrance but as a resource that they can tap into to gain access to the epistemologies of content specific language.”

Rhodes University’s Prof Chrissy Boughey said the most dominant understanding of curriculum decolonization is that it involves the inclusion of African content and thought and that the use of indigenous languages as languages of learning and teaching also featured strongly.

Boughey added that the use of indigenous languages as media of instruction impacts on the identity and well-being of students.

Prof. Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam, Head of Language Education at the University of the Western Cape, said students are not a statistics but have a voice and therefore should be heard.

Sivasubramaniam argued that students’ competencies can be maximized through giving them platforms to speak and practice their views.  

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The thorny topic of decolonising university curricula was tackled head-on during the annual Language Indaba this week.

Hosted by the Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development’s Language Unit this year participants explored the topic of Decolonising the Language Curriculum.

Delegates at the Indaba included discipline specialists, curriculum officers, language specialists, academics and researchers and students in relevant fields.

Delivering the keynote address, University of Cape Town’s Prof Carolyn McKinney cited examples of how colonialism in education negatively impacts the linguistic resources of African people.

McKinney questioned whether parents of English and Afrikaans – speaking children would allow their children to learn everything from Grade 4 onwards in isiXhosa as their Xhosa counterparts are compelled to learn in English.

She discussed various dominant language ideologies before offering the audience de-colonial approaches to language teaching.

She suggested multilingual class discussions, group work and learning materials as well as assignments requiring the use of more than one language and group to share resources, among others.

Prof Johannes Cronje, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design at CPUT, discussed his approach to teaching and learning in communication which allows students to interact with each other and himself, uses Dashboard and other online forms of learning as well as innovative assessment methods.

Jabar Mohammed, DeafSA’s Western Cape director, explained the role of DeafSA and the challenges faced by the South African deaf community as well as what is being done to address them.

CPUT’s Dr Bernadette Millar argued that decolonization is a journey of self-discovery culminating in a reawakening and a re-orientation.

Millar said decolonising the mind involved a radical process of finding the colonial master’s intention and undoing conditioning, normalisation, power and privilege of the white mind. 

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The Student Learning Unit, a division under the Fundani Centre, aims to promote student learning, progression and success by creating an “empowering environment” through partnerships with all those involved in teaching and learning.

Thanks to its mentorship programme, students have access to well-trained peer tutors and mentors as well as support for the development of competencies in chemistry and physics.

The unit empowers students to deal confidently with the university’s social and academic needs by improving their ability to solve mathematical problems independently and enhancing their academic literacy proficiency.

Social support is provided through the mentorship programme, which attempts to restore the social dimension of learning that often gets lost at universities.

The programme serves as a socialisation and enculturation process that enables new students to fit into the institutional environment.

The unit employs postgraduate student as learning facilitators. During consultations they create a welcoming environment in which productive engagement is possible and the exploration of subject matter is achievable.

“The learning facilitators are favourably positioned to give assistance to students because their schooling experience is relatively fresh, and have developed a better insight on what the students are going through in their studies,” says lecturer Xena Cupido.

The programme is freely available to students from the foundation programme up to B-Tech level and appointment bookings have to be made at least three days in advance.

Students on the Cape Town Campus and surrounding satellite campuses can visit the eLearning Centre or email Siphokazimboxela on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Those on the Bellville Campus and nearby satellite campuses can visit the IT Centre or email Mziyanda Ndede on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.