Abstract:

Language plays a significant role in any institution as it serves as a tool for communication, instruction, and contributes to understanding one’s culture and way of life. This work discusses the use of African languages in universities and the process of adopting a multilingual policy. This scoping review explores scholarship regarding successes and challenges in the implementation of the multilingual policy in South African universities and the lessons learned from these experiences. Research has established that there is a slow implementation of language policies in institutions of higher learning. This has led to significant challenges that require urgent attention. This is evidenced by the 2015/2016 student protests across various universities in the country, which have compelled institutions to review their language policies and seriously consider the inclusion of African languages. Such transformation is essential for creating equity and promoting inclusivity. Embracing linguistic diversity ensures that every student has an equal chance to succeed by fostering a sense of belonging. Ultimately, it affirms to students that their cultural backgrounds and languages are not only represented but also valued within the academic environment. While existing research effectively identifies the policy-practice gap in South African universities, citing institutional resistance, funding shortage, and the marginalization of African languages, it largely fails to provide actionable solutions. This review underscores a more critical issue: the absence of practical strategies for implementation. A key question remains: To what extent is the multililingual language policy implemented in South African universities? A promising yet underexplored avenue for bridging this gap is the strategic and committed implementation as reflected from UKZN in successfully embracing and implementing multilingual policy. The practical challenges of resource development, staffing, and high costs as key barriers to implementation could be achieved through institutional support and commitment to the multilingual vision. By mapping the current landscape, this review emphasizes the urgent need for future work to shift from diagnosing the problem to developing scalable and practical solutions that can effectively translate policy to implementation.

Keywords:

Curriculum transformation, language policies, equity and inclusion, multilingualism, linguistic rights.