This case study was written as part of the first phase of a crosspractice and crossthematic global undp initiative on gender equality in public. There are a total of 3 institutional languages, 10 developing languages, vigorous languages and 3 languages that are in trouble. This reflects consultative processes ranging from traditional community gatherings to regional and international policy frameworks including the sadc code on social security and the au social policy. The policy paper arises out of the methodical engagement of the bftu af. It is sometimes referred to as the second official language in government circles. Botswana its not just elephants that are under attack in botswana the countrys government is rolling back wildlife protections and endangering media freedom and the rule of law.
Botswanas wealth of different languages and cultural traditions will be. Hango yebotswana, is a landlocked country in southern africa. Setswana is spoken by about 90% of the population either as mothertongue or as a second language in botswana. In this article, we examine minority language policy and practice in china and discuss the large gaps between what is stipulated by law and what occurs in practice. Within the region, botswana subscribes to the southern african. Language planning and education policy in botswana. This paper examines learners transition from setswana in standard one to english at standard two in line with the implementation of the language ineducation policy in selected botswana primary schools. Setswana is the mother tongue of approximately 80% of the population and is the second language of an additional 10% nyatiramahobo, as cited in adeyemi, 2008, making it the national lingua franca. National languages, accra, 2630 august 1996 which is a mixture of english and french texts, report on the experts meeting on the strategies for the promotion of african languages in education, conakry, 2125 september 1991 the meeting was in 1981 unesco published the. For instance vision 2016 is a national development blueprint that defines what measures must be taken in order for the nation to reach the status of an information society longterm vision for botswana, 1997. Chinese, gujarati, hai om, hindi, luyana, northern sotho, southern sotho, xhiosa, and zulu. There is no constitutional provision for local government in botswana, and the main legislation is the local government act 2012. Language in education policy in botswana according to baugh 2004, 204, scholars, educators, politicians and pundits are among those who have significantly influenced language education w.
The botswana flag is light blue with a horizontal, whiteedged black stripe across the center. A study of the summarizing strategies used by esl first year science students at the university of botswana. It is sometimes referred to as the second official language. There are also immigrant languages in botswana which include. Peace corps botswana an introduction to the setswana language setswana is one of the bantu language groups, mostly spoken in botswana, south africa and namibia southern africa. The following lessons have been designed to suit any new learner in setswana who has had little or no exposure to setswana language. South african journal of african languages national.
It is pertinent to point out that this council is yet to be. The pilot study of 2010 results are included and discussed in this paper because they set atone and paved way for the main study especially where learners go to school only speaking the home languages. Despite botswana s democratic stance, the country continues with the topdown approach to policy, perhaps because of the advantages associated with guiding people at grassroots level in a country experiencing phenomenal social, economic, political, and cultural change. This article looks at codeswitching cs in botswanas senior secondary schools within the context of the countrys languageineducation policy, which states.
It marks a major shift in the development of curriculum in botswana in that, this is the first national vet qualification developed in botswana by its own people. Some have attributed botswana s economic and political success to a lack of ethnic diversity in the country. These policies and plans set out the goals and strategies that botswana will pursue to promote human. Botswana is a democratic republic with a twotier system of government. Citizen engagement in public policy making process in africa. Below is a brief summary of each language spoken in botswana.
Language council nslc endorsed by the npe 1977, to promote the use and understanding of the national language setswana to the botswana languages council blc republic of botswana, 1994. The second policy known as the revised national policy on education rnpe was explicit in its endeavor to prepare batswana for the. Botswanas development with reference to the countrys language policy that. Policy brief botswana s agriculture and water resources. Some of the countrys languages are in danger of becoming extinct. The number of minority languages spoken in botswana is estimated to be 23. Language problems have created what we call a vacuum in their homeschool connections. In each of these times, the obtaining socioeconomic, cultural and political conditions dictated the form and nature of social policy. Botswana was alert to these conflicts on constant basis as demonstrated by policy interventions later in the discussion. The revised national policy on education, april 1994 botswana. The evolution of social policy in botswana can be traced though three distinct historical periods. This article explores language practice in botswana in the context of disseminating information related to environmental issues.
Implementation of the languageineducation policy and. Language policy and practice in botswana in the context of. This report will be discussed by the reference group at 14. However there was just sufficient understanding of the commitment to womens advance ment by the world body to encourage botswana to set up a womens affairs unit in 1981. Documents such as the national constitution merely allude to language policy, but stop short of fully declaring a position. The failure of participation to empower people is partly attributable to the. However, there are indications that urban agriculture is growing and is contributing considerably to income generation, employment creation and poverty alleviation hovorka 2004.
To find out if minority languages should be used as media of instruction in botswana public primary and secondary schools. Its basis for this arises out of a need to adjust the land policy and land laws, administration and management to the changes being brought about by economic development. Information sources for public policy making in botswana. Journal of international education research december. Botswana has articulated longterm national goals and values in vision 2016 and in the series of national development plans and the revised national policy on education rnpe. English, which was inherited from colonial rule, is the language of official business and most written communication. The need for multicultural education yuxiang wang and joann phillion purdue university u. This paper presents the language policy in botswana within this legal framework, the impact of the policy on linguistic and cultural rights and the longstanding agitation of the unrecognized groups for such rights.
Based on the four national principles of democracy, development, selfreliance and unity, social harmony is an. Policy, school of communication, design and media at westminster university, united kingdom. Recommendation 3 of the rnpe to form the botswana languages council, which will be responsible for developing a comprehensive language policy. The authors are indigenous and have been participants in the. Botswana is topographically flat, with up to 70 percent of its territory being the kalahari desert. This body is to have a term of reference to formulate a language policy for the country. The language policy in botswana has also resulted in a loss of culture for the san and other minority peoples. It is the language of national unity and cultural identity in a country situated in a politically and economically unstable. There are 29 languages listed in botswana, all of which are living languages lewis, et al, 20. Vulnerability relates to the inability to withstand the vicissitudes of a hostile environment, which can be physical, social, emotional or otherwise philip, and rayhan, 2004, the. Botswana is a young nation, having achieved independence only just over six decades ago, trailing behind a history of unsympathetic british colonization, conflicts between tribal enclaves and disturbing migrations by ethnic groups and the boers. The first national policy on education npe of 1977 was a reaction by botswana leaders to move away from the british colonization model of learning to a more inclusive system when education was for the elite. Ministry of lands, housing and environment department of.
While this may be true on a certain level, we hope this book will illustrate just how rich and varied the cultures, customs, languages, and peoples of botswana really are. The practice of social policy in botswana lengwekatembula mw ansa, taglo lucas, kwaku oseihwedie introduction thispaper is a product of the social policy project, sponsored by the international developmentcentre idrc, canada, tofoster acommon understanding ofsocial policiesasthey impact on socioeconomic development processes in southern and. Botswana, government of, and ministry of finance and development planning. Contr proile 201718 the local government system in botswana. The policy interest on urban agriculture was necessitated by the following. Despite the fact that indigenous languages are invaluable carriers of environmental education, the current language policy in botswana does not provide room for the use of the different indigenous languages messages conveying information on environmental. Journal of the botswana educational research association i, 23. Language policy and its impact on student learning outcomes. Setswana is the only local language that is used in national life and english as the official language.
Botswana language policy botswana language policy nikeisha. Language planning and education policy in botswana by lydia. Language learning in a global context bxl436ds instructor. Language planning and education policy in botswana by. The policy was silent on the use of languages other than setswana.
Unlock country maps with a standard plan see where every language in botswana is spoken, plus. The policy and programmes prescriptions in prsps can have a direct andor indirect impact on the child labour situation in the country. Pelotshweu moepeng the botswana institute for development policy analysis. English is the declared official language government of botswana, 1985, the language of government and administration, science and technology, educational and international relations. In addition to botswanas 2 official languages namely setswana, the national language and english, there.
Pdf implementation of the languageineducation policy. English is the official language and setswana is the national language. Prioritizing unity over diversity in botswanas social studies policies and. However, as the country developed, new concepts of land use emerged due to cultural adjustments and change in tastes and preference. Mothertongue ongue education in botswana in botswana. Journal of international education research december 2017. The bprs identifies several policy issues which aim to create the enabling environment for a sustained attack on poverty, such as enhancing capability, adopting an integrated policy approach to hivaids, and strengthening the leadership capacity of key public. This volume covers the language situation in botswana, malawi, mozambique and south africa explaining the linguistic diversity, the historical and political contexts and the current language situation, including language ineducation planning, the role of the media, the role of religion, and the roles of nonindigenous languages. This bostwana government report examines the linkages between land rights and both rural and urban poverty in botswana, which constitute a strong element of the bostwana prsp. Below is the link to past and the most recent prsps for this country in the published language.
Botswana is not short of policy in the social development arena. The policy is set to promote our pride and nationhood, and to enable us to own the future by being a tolerant, compassionate, just and caring. Republic of botswana, ministry of lands and housing, august 2015. The impact of language policy and practice on childrens. Emaida krvaric october 6, 2014 botswana is a land of 29 living languages. According to nyatiramahobo 2004, botswana s language education policy is not written. An introduction to the setswana language setswana is one of the bantu language groups, mostly spoken in botswana, south africa and namibia southern africa. Ministry of lands, housing and environment department of lands. It is the medium of instruction for all subjects at primary and secondary school levels except for setswana classes.
The impact of language policy on education in botswana. Adolf mbaine is lecturer at the department of mass communication, makerere university, uganda. Pdf the practice of social policy in botswana ricole. It is bordered by south africa to the south and southeast, namibia to the. Citizen engagement in public policy making process in. The official languages of botswana are english and tswana. Language of learning and teaching the language s of learning and teaching in a public school must be an official language s. Muyeeba, k 2004, challenges of making and implementing policy in the multilingual state of zambia, third international conference of the association for the development of african languages in education, science and technology adalest and the fifth malawian national language symposium, university of malawi and gtz, malawi, 167176. The botswana technical education programme policy introduced in the year 2000 is the first response of an obe curriculum policy document in botswana.
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