The Prof Li Wei, director and dean of the Institute of Education (IOE) at the University College London (UCL), delivered a public lecture on 4 September at the North-West University (NWU).

The theme of the lecture was “What does linguistic diversity mean and how can language-education policy address multilingualism?”.

Prof Li Wei outlined how historical and political factors have shaped the naming and recognition of languages. He noted that the classification of languages has often been linked to colonial projects and the construction of nation-states. “Race, tribe and language practice were often tied to European colonial projects, which influenced how languages came to be classified and named,” he said.

Drawing on findings from the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, he observed that India has the second-highest number of languages in the world (780), following Papua New Guinea. Despite this, only Hindi and English are officially recognised as national languages, while the eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 scheduled languages.

He further indicated that the same issue might be applying to the South African context, and therefore, we all need to consider how to break the barriers or boundaries between languages.

He stressed that language-education policies must recognise linguistic diversity as a social and educational reality which cannot be ignored at any point in time. “The way languages are named and legitimised has direct implications for education, identity and social inclusion,” Prof Li Wei explained.

The lecture highlighted the importance of adopting policies that not only acknowledge multilingualism but also provide practical frameworks to address it in educational contexts.

Prof Li Wei delivered a public lecture on linguistic diversity and language-education policy.