Students’ Voices on How Indigenous Languages Are Disfavoured in South African Higher Education

Abstract

South Africa is a country with 11 official languages. However, teaching and learning in South African universities continue to be dominated by a language that was imposed by colonialism. Drawing on a broader doctoral study which explores students’ experiences of (de)coloniality in post-apartheid education, this article reports on how access to education is hindered by the absence of indigenous languages as languages of learning and teaching. This article is based on data that was collected through in-depth individual interviews with 10 social work graduates. In a setting dominated by English, graduates spoke of their hardships in accessing education. Framed within the Afrocentric paradigm and anti-colonial theory, the article calls for the advancement of African indigenous languages in South African universities as part of the transformation agenda. The article draws attention to a need for the university community to commit to the formulation and implementation of language policies that promote translanguaging.