Few days left to comment on second draft of SU’s revised Language Policy (2016)

10 August 2021

Interested parties have a few days left to comment on the second draft of the Stellenbosch University’s (SU) revised Language Policy (2016). This second public participation phase follows after the Language Policy Revision Task Team compiled and published the first draft for public input in March/April 2021. Submissions were considered and a second draft of the revised policy was released for comment on 23 July 2021.

Interested parties can make submissions on the second draft until midnight on Saturday 14 August 2021. As was the case with the first public participation opportunity, comments related to the second draft can only be submitted via the digital platform available on the SU language webpage (www.sun.ac.za/language). No comments will be possible after the closing date.

As part of the second public participation phase, SU has made the information considered by task team available to the public on the webpage. The Context document for the revision of the Language Policy (2016) provides a broad overview of the process and timeline; the international and national higher education context; the SU context; the implementation cost of various language scenarios and the Rectorate's perspective.

SU is revising its Language Policy (2016) this year as part of the cycle prescribed in the policy itself. Paragraph 10 stipulates that the policy “lapses five years after the date of its implementation” and that it “must be reviewed during its fifth year of operation”. The current policy was implemented at the beginning of 2017.

The SU Statute stipulates that the SU Council must determine the language policy of the institution with the concurrence of Senate and in accordance with section 27(2) of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No 101 of 1997, as amended). The revision process was initiated October 2020. The objective is to table a final draft Language Policy (2021) for approval by Council on 2 December 2021.

Since the Constitutional Court in 2019 found the Language Policy (2016) to be constitutionally justified and the University’s process in adopting the policy “thorough, exhaustive, inclusive and properly deliberative”, the current policy has been used as the point of departure.

The revision will be informed further by SU’s Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019–2024, as well as the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions (2020).

Issued by Stellenbosch University, 10 August 2021