Stellenbosch – The Cape Forum has cautioned that Stellenbosch University’s draft language policy for 2026 could deepen existing inequalities.
The civil society organisation has raised concerns about the entrenchment of English as the default language while relegating Afrikaans and isiXhosa to conditional, secondary roles.
In its submission to the university, Cape Forum reaffirmed its support for genuine multilingualism but argued that the proposed framework undermines equal access to knowledge.
The organisation stressed that advances in artificial intelligence (AI) now make it possible to deliver academic content in multiple languages of equal quality, eliminating the need for one language to dominate.
“Where language differences were presented as a political challenge in the past, modern AI technology today offers the ability to make quality academic content available quickly and efficiently in different languages,” said Bernard Pieters, Head of Community Activation at Cape Forum.
“The focus should be on treating languages equally, not on further strengthening the dominant position of English.”
Cape Forum warned that using Afrikaans and isiXhosa only for summaries or supporting explanations would perpetuate inequality, as students would not have the same level of access to knowledge in their mother tongue.
“If language equality is not the outcome as promised, this latest language policy is not multilingualism, but a deliberate dismantling of an existing academic language,” stated Cape Forum.
The group urged Stellenbosch University to harness AI to expand inclusion by making academic materials, assessments, and communication available in all official languages.
Pieters said the institution has the opportunity to become a world leader in multilingual higher education if it embraces technology to achieve language equality.
“Instead of falling back on a single default language, the institution should leverage new technology to achieve true language equality and promote the academic development of all its official languages,” Pieters concluded.
Cape Forum has called on Stellenbosch University to revise its final policy to ensure that modern technology reduces inequalities rather than reinforcing them.
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