Cultural Affairs and Sport
(1) How has the Department advanced multilingualism in the schools of the Province to achieve cultural inclusivity;
(2) which tools are being used to evaluate if the advancement of multilingualism is effective in achieving cultural inclusivity?
1. Multilingualism in schools of the Province is not the responsibility of the Department. According to the Western Cape Provincial Languages Act of 1998 [Act 13 of 1998] the mandate of the Department with regards to multilingualism is within the WCG, not to schools. The Department therefore provide language support services to all the Provincial government departments, including the WCED responsible for schools, in implementing the Western Cape Language Policy based on the Act.
2. Tools used to evaluate effectiveness of multilingualism in achieving cultural inclusivity are not related to schools, as explained in [a], but related to promotion of multilingualism within the WCG. The tools used in evaluating effectiveness of multilingualism within the WCG [not in schools] therefore are:
[i] multilingualism status surveys in identified Departments by the Western Cape Language Committee
[ii] quarterly meetings of the Western Cape Provincial Language Forum (consisting of language practitioners of all the provincial departments)
[III] biannual surveys on progress and challenges of implementing the Western Cape Language Policy by various departments.
