Kiswahili will be the newest language taught in South African classrooms beginning in 2020. This East African lingua franca, which is also an African Union official language, will be an elective topic.
The revelation has sparked curiosity and elicited appreciation from certain places. However, practical issues about South Africa’s existing sociolinguistic and educational settings must be raised. For example, why does South Africa require another language in addition to the native 11 and the many foreign languages offered by different schools?
Has the country done all possible to promote local languages before adding another to the mix? Is there room on an already packed schedule for this project to be completed successfully?
These are valid concerns, but I would argue that the advantages of adopting Kiswahili exceed the dangers. There are numerous reasons for this, including the opportunity to educate South African students for rich relationships in trade, academics, and everyday life on the continent.
A growing language
Kiswahili, a developing language, is said to have originated on the coast of East Africa. It arose as a result of intermarriage between Bantu-speaking populations along the East African coast and Arabs who arrived before the 10th century AD. It subsequently expanded into the interior of East Africa via commerce, Christian activities such as missionary work, and exploratory operations.
Today the language is spoken widely in the larger Eastern Africa region as a lingua franca, a language used between people who don’t speak one another’s the native language. It’s a national language in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and an official language of the East African Community which comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan.
Its use is spreading to southern, western, and northern Africa. Currently, however, none of these countries are teaching Kiswahili as a subject the way South Africa intends to; instead, it is generally a language of trade and inter-ethnic communication. However, it may not be long until more countries join South Africa in teaching it in classrooms since the language is spreading fast and becoming a household language in many of these countries in addition to its adoption as one of the official languages of the African Union.
Kiswahili is also a popular research subject at many South African universities. And it’s studied outside Africa, most particularly in the US and Europe. This global interest in the adoption of Kiswahili points to its growing international significance. This implies that its introduction into South African schools is a good move with multiple benefits.
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