Academy for Multilingualism
The Academy for Multilingualism was established at the beginning of 2021, flowing from the UFS Language Policy that expresses the university’s commitment to multilingualism, with particular emphasis on Sesotho, Afrikaans and isiZulu.
The academy aims to promote these languages on institutional and social levels through various academic and community-based projects and initiatives. Four drivers have been identified to implement multilingualism on campus:
• Advance Sesotho and isiZulu as academic languages
• Incorporate multilingualism into learning and teaching
• Promote multilingualism as a social asset
• Improve English as a language of instruction
The academy works closely with the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the different language departments on all three campuses.
Among its academic functions are:
• Creating multilingual academic glossaries
• Producing PhD abstract translations
• Providing voice-overs for digital lessons
• Facilitating trans-language tutorial sessions in various faculties
• Training of personnel in teaching within multilingual classrooms
Kovsies Multilingual Mokete
The Kovsies Multilingual Mokete has become a popular annual tradition celebrating different cultural expressions – in visual art, poetry, storytelling, drama, music, and song – by different language groups and in the different languages that are dominant at the UFS (i.e. English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, isiZulu, and Sign Language). This year’s event included items in Sepedi, siSwati, and isiXhosa as well.
Initiative for Creative African Narratives
The Academy for Multilingualism also runs the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) a programme that encourages students to engage in extensive reading and contribute to the curriculum. By incorporating student narratives into learning material, students learn about each other – from each other.