Abstract
The language policy issues in Zimbabwe are embedded in three documents which are the Education Act of 1987, the Nziramasanga Commission, and the current constitution which was passed into law in 2013. The paper examines the negatives and positives of these policies in education and how they facilitate the inclusion and exclusion of Sotho. The vague policies which are evasive on how indigenous languages should be treated when it comes to their use as media of instruction are problematised. Data used in this paper was supplemented with information that came from interviews with eight teachers from schools in Gwanda. It is argued in this paper that the policies and pieces of legislation are not devoted to the equal advancement of indigenous languages. It is concluded that the functionality of Sotho in the education sector in Zimbabwe is mainly hindered by the government policies that do not recognise the co-existence of languages but rather create a linguistic war zone where they have to fight to dislodge one another. The paper advocates for the recognition of harmonious co-existence of languages in education where all the languages found in a geographical space are not restricted but are made to function equally and simultaneously.
 
 Received: 12 September 2020 / Accepted: 17 December 2020 / Published: 5 March 2021
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
