Dr Dolly Dlavane, director of the Centre for African Language Teaching (CALT) at North-West University (NWU), has been inaugurated for a second term as a board member of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). The official engagement recently took place at the Constitutional Court.
Dr Dlavane served on the PanSALB Board for five years, concluding her initial term in March last year. It was these five years that she chaired a committee that dealt with the core mandate of PanSALB (Core Mandate Committee – CMC). Following a nomination for reappointment, she completed the rigorous interview and selection process. Her inauguration marks the beginning of another five-year term dedicated to promoting multilingualism and the advancement of South Africa’s linguistic heritage.
This board membership complements her role as Director of CALT, serving as a valuable catalyst for engaging with key stakeholders interested in the development and promotion of African languages in education.
Reflecting on her reappointment, Dr. Dlavane expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to continue advocating for and protecting linguistic diversity and promoting the development of African languages in education and society. She feels deeply honoured and humbled to serve on the PanSALB Board, especially in 2025—a landmark year in which South Africa's Basic Education system begins implementing Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education in Grade 4.
Grade 4 has long been recognized for low reading proficiency in African languages nationwide, making this initiative particularly significant. She is also especially enthusiastic about the recent signing of the Basic Education Laws Act 2022 (BELA) Bill, which represents an important step forward in recognising African languages and South African Sign Language at schools.
Dr. Dlavane envisions a future where African languages are fully integrated into the school system, enhancing discipline-based epistemic access for African language speakers. This vision is already being realized at North-West University’s Faculty of Education, where efforts are underway to produce teachers equipped to teach in multilingual classrooms. According to Dr. Dlavane, a key driver in achieving this at the school level is the implementation of the Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) policy. As a flagship programme of the Department of Basic Education, IIAL promotes social cohesion by embracing linguistic diversity, a value deeply rooted in South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP).
A passionate advocate for the advancement and intellectualisation of African languages, she consistently calls for their increased use in both universities and schools, and for true parity of esteem among all twelve official South African languages. She is particularly impressed by improved numbers in African languages postgraduate registrations with students writing their thesis in their African languages. Also, the way private institutions, such as Curro Schools, offer African languages aligned with the linguistic demographics of each province.
She encourages communities to make use of PanSALB’s language services through its structures available at provincial offices. Alternatively, individuals can visit the PanSALB website or follow its social media platforms to stay informed about its achievements and ongoing initiatives.
Dr Dolly Dlavane
