The second response report, compiled from all input received on the second draft of Stellenbosch University's revised Language Policy (2016), is available on the Language Policy revision webpage. The University Council will consider this response report and the second draft of the revised Language Policy (2016) to provide feedback to the Language Policy Revision Task team at its meeting on 27 September 2021. These documents were also tabled at the Senate meeting on 10 September 2021.
In the second consultation round 297 responses were received – 126 via www.sun.ac.za/taal and 171 via www.sun.ac.za/language. A significant number of responses – 119 in total – were duplicate submissions, and eight responses were left blank in terms of both general and specific feedback.
In July/August 2021 internal and external interested parties were invited to participate in the second phase for public consultation of the language revision. This followed after the task team compiled a first draft of the revised policy earlier this year and released the document for public input in March/April 2021. All the contributions received during the first public participation phase were included in the first response report, and considered for possible inclusion in the second draft of the revised policy. The second response report also contains all the feedback received, but as for the first public participation phase, it will not be possible to include all the input in the next draft of the policy.
The language revision process was initiated in October 2020 by convening a task team and proposing a timeline based on the University Almanac for 2021. The 2021 revision forms part of the mandatory five-year revision cycle prescribed in the Language Policy (2016) itself. Paragraph 10 of the Language Policy (2016) 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 Stellenbosch University Statute (2019) stipulates that the SU Council must determine the institution's language policy with the concurrence of Senate and in accordance with section 27(2) of the Higher Education Act (Act No 101 of 1997, as amended).
The task team will complete the final draft of the revised language policy during October/early November 2021 after considering the input received during the second public participation phase, as well as the feedback from faculty boards, the Institutional Forum, Senate and Council.
The final draft of the policy will be tabled for approval at the Senate meeting on 26 November 2021, and at the Council meeting on 2 December 2021.
Read more about the 2021 revision of the Language Policy (2016):
Timeline and milestones
Second public participation phase (July/August 2021)
Contextual documents
First public participation phase (March/April 2021)
Afrikaans as indigenous language
Read more about language at Stellenbosch University:
Articles on language, media releases and media responses, as well as frequently-asked questions and answers
