WCED Minute:

In 1999 the 30th session of UNESCO’s general conference adopted a resolution to celebrate “Mother Tongue” or “Mother Language” annually on 21 February. It is seen as a day to focus attention, worldwide, on the fact that those who are educated through their mother tongue have a greater chance of scholastic success than those who have to convert to another language when they are too young.

2.	Schools are encouraged to plan their own celebrations and debates for 21 February 2006. This focus is particularly relevant in light of current plans by the Western Cape Education Department to strengthen mother-tongue education in the province.

2.1	A range of suggestions for activities is included as Appendix A.

2.2	It is very important for schools to think deeply about the issues so that the day is an affirming one for all who speak languages which are different from the Language of Learning and Teaching at the school.

For further reading go to the Curriculum Development website http://curriculum.wcape.school.za and visit the English, Xhosa or GET web page for a list of titles provided by EDULIS. Alternatively, contact one of the following:

WCED EDULIS Library:
15 Kruskal Avenue, Bellville, 7530, 
Tel 021 957 9618
Fax 021 948 0748
E-mail: edulis@pgwc.gov.za

EMDC Metropole South:
Brian O’Connell Resource Centre, Mitchell’s Plain
Tel 021 370 2084

EMDC West Coast & Winelands 
Resource Centre, Paarl
Tel 021 860 1229

EMDC South Cape & Karoo 
Resource Centre, George
Tel 044 803 8328

EMDC Breede River & Overberg 
Resource Centre, Worcester
Tel 023 348 4657

The Department of Culture and Sport is mandated to oversee the language policy and development both provincially and nationally. The Western Cape Language Committee has decided on a 2006 drive to increase awareness of the needs of the deaf community and Sign Language (Annexure B). It takes pleasure in providing a booklet (enclosed) entitled Know more about Sign Language, as well as a leaflet with the letters of the alphabet in Sign Language and a short note in Appendix C.

4.1

The committee remarked as follows:

“The lack of knowledge by the inhabitants of the Western Cape regarding Sign Language has resulted in misconceptions about the deaf community. Sign Language has its own grammatical structures with its own syntax and satisfies all the criteria for being an independent language.”

4.2	Those who are interested in learning Sign Language or in becoming a Sign Language Interpreter, should contact the Deaf Federation Western Cape for more information at 021 683 4665, or the Deaf Community of Cape Town.

4.3	For more information on the activities of the Western Cape Language Committee in promoting Sign Language in the Western Cape, schools can also contact Louis Nel at the Western Cape Language Unit at 021 483 9681 or send an email to inel@pgwc.gov.za.

5.	Please bring the contents of this minute to the attention of all concerned.

SIGNED: J.P. RAULT-SMITH
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2006:02:07

Annexure A (size: 8 KB)
Annexure B (size: 6 KB)
Annexure C (size: 13 KB)