Fewer pupils study Indian languages

HE NUMBER of pupils studying eastern languages at high schools is dwindling and unless creative solutions are implemented fast, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Gujarati and Urdu could die out. Principals and parents have also been urged to play their part by encouraging children to study their mother tongue languages.

Dr Armugam Munsamy Pillay, the president of the South African Tamil Teachers’ Association, said the number of pupils in KZN studying the language currently stood at about 44 compared to 78 last year, while only one pupil in Gauteng is pursuing the subject.

“One of the problems is that many schools are not allocating time for eastern languages on their time-tables, so it is vital that more efforts are made to re-awaken the language because it also forms part of one’s identity,” he said.

“Without knowing your mother tongue, how can you help someone understand their roots? Our languages cannot be written off.”

Megavarrna Balraj Reddy said there were two people studying Telugu in KZN this year.

His message was to Indian principals.

“As long as you are at the helm, encourage eastern languages,” said the Telugu language teacher.

He said there were some principals who found ways and means to ensure the languages became part of their schools’ curriculum.

“If it is not part of the curriculum, problems crop up where parents complain that their children cannot find transport to get home.”

The provincial co-ordinator for eastern languages, Kamal Maharaj, who also oversees Hindi, said about 52 pupils studied the language last year and this year that number stood at 45. The number in Gauteng had dropped from four to three.

“Schools must find creative ways to introduce eastern languages during the course of the day. We suggested they start school at 7.45am instead of 8am and add in another lesson from 2.15pm to 2.30pm,” he said.

“In this way at least 30 minutes a day is allocated to a language, but it is up to the schools to adopt these suggestions.”

Teachers

He said the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal was prepared to allocate the relevant teachers, but added that part of the problem rested with the demographics of the schools and the interest shown.

The chairman of the South African Arabic and Urdu Teachers’ Association, Nizam Rehman, said there were 10 pupils studying Urdu in KZN compared to 12 last year, and the number had remained the same in Gauteng (8) for the past two years.

There are currently no students studying Gujarati in KZN, but the numbers are seemingly more positive in Gauteng with eight pupils having studied it last year and 11 this year.

The spokesman for the Department of Education in the province, Muzi Mahlambi, said: “In South Africa we promote all languages equally but parents and learners have a choice in what is taken as a subject.”

He said parents in particular played a pivotal role in influencing their children in terms of career paths.

“When a child is in Grade 10, for instance, they may help him or her determine what subjects to take if they want him or her to become a lawyer or a doctor. Similarly, in terms of language, they can also decide if they want their child to learn a new language.”

Mahlambi said the topic of language in the country remained an issue.

“We must come up with more programmes to instill an interest, but it generally starts with the parents, who play a major role in what their kids take.”