Briefing on Education on Sign Language Mrs' Ntombenhle Nkosi Chief Executive Officer Friday, 20 June

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Briefing on Education on Sign Language Mrs.
Ntombenhle Nkosi Chief Executive
OfficerFriday, 20 June 2008Joint Monitoring
Committee on Improvement of Quality of Life and
Status of Children, Youth and Disabled People
Persons, Room V227 Old Assembly Parliament,
Cape Town
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PART A

• INTRODUCTION

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Intro

• Legislative Mandate
• PanSALB derives its legislative mandate from the
  Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,
  the PanSALB Act 59 of 1995 as amended in 1999 and
  the PanSALB Regulations.
• The powers and functions of the Board are to
• (a) Make recommendations with regard to any
  proposed or existing legislation, practice and
  policy dealing directly or indirectly with
  language matters at any level of government, and
  with regard to any proposed amendments to or the
  repeal or replacement of such legislation,
  practice and policy

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Intro

• The powers and functions of the Board
• are to
• (b) Make recommendations to organs of state at
  all levels of government where it considers such
  action advisable for the adoption of measures
  aimed at the promotion of multilingualism within
  the framework of the Constitution

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Intro

• The powers and functions (cont.)
• (c) Actively promote an awareness of
  multilingualism as a national resource
• (d) Actively promote the development of the
  previously marginalised languages
• (e) Initiate studies and research aimed at
  promoting and creating conditions for the
  development and use of
• (i) all the official languages of the Republic
• (ii) Khoe and San languages and,
• (iii) South African Sign Language.
• (f) Promote and ensure respect for all other
  languages commonly used by communities in South
  Africa

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Intro

• The powers and functions (cont.)
• (g) Advise on the co-ordination of language
  planning in South Africa
• (h) Facilitate co-operation with language
  planning agencies outside South Africa
• (i) Establish Provincial Language Committees and
  National Bodies to advise it on any language
  matter affecting a province or a specific
  language and
• (j) Establish National Lexicography Units to
  operate as companies limited by guarantee under
  section 21 of the Companies Act, 1973 (Act 61 of
  1973) and allocate funds to the units for the
  fulfilment of their functions.

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Intro

• The powers and functions (cont.)
• In terms of Section 4 of the PanSALB Act, the
  Board is an independent organ of state, subject
  only to the Constitution and its founding
  legislation and must perform its duties without
  fear, favour or prejudice. All organs of state
  are enjoined to cooperate with the Board and may
  not interfere with the function of the Board in
  its execution of its mandate.

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Intro

• Vision
• To achieve the equal status and use of all
  official languages of South Africa
• Mission
• To provide for the recognition, the promotion and
  the development of all South African languages,
  with particular attention being given to those
  languages that were previously marginalized
• Values
• Respect for all languages in South Africa
• Equal treatment of all languages in South Africa
• Non discrimination on the basis of language

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Intro..Purpose

• Create conditions for
• Multilingualism by developing and promoting equal
  use and status of all official languages
• National unity and respect for the Bill of Rights
  as it pertains to respect and cultural tolerance
  of all languages and restoration of dignity of
  formally marginalised languages

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IntroPurpose

• See to the Implementation of
• Language policies at all levels of government
• Language development plans, projects and
  initiatives
• Appropriate research in support of language
  development
• All measures meant to protect and support
  Constitutional democracy with respect to language

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IntroPurpose

• Be agents of change by
• Promoting public dialogue to change mindsets and
  attitudes to language
• Promoting the value of indigenous languages
• Monitoring the application of language
  legislation
• Advising government on linguistic matters

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PART B

• SERVICE DELIVERY

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Background

• South African Sign Language (SASL) is recognized
  and used as a first language by approximately 500
  000 Deaf South Africans.
• Since 1996, SASL has been officially recognized
  as the language of learning and teaching for the
  majority of Deaf learners in South Africa.

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Background

• Government policies also acknowledge SASL as the
  means through which Deaf people become
  economically and intellectually empowered.
• This in turn has increased the awareness of the
  need for accessible social and legal services,
  equal education opportunities and therefore, SASL
  interpreter services.

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Background

• Because of a lack of awareness in the South
  African society, Deaf people experience language
  barriers in public sectors.
• This means that there is a great need for
  professionals in different fields to learn SASL
  in order to provide efficient access to service.
  Also, this will help Deaf people to contribute
  equally to the South African economy.
• PanSALB has since established a National Language
  Body (NLB) for Sign Language and appointed a SASL
  practitioner to service the NLB.

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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Summary of PanSALB Interventions
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Key Initiatives for 2008/09

• PanSALB plans to undertake the following projects
  amongst others during 2008/09
• Reviewing the dictionary for the Deaf.
• Establishing a National Lexicography Unit (NLU)
  for SASL that will be responsible for compiling a
  document on spelling and orthography of SASL.
• Establish a Language in Education technical
  committee within the SASL NLB to look into the
  implementation of the language in education
  policy as far as SASL is concerned.
• Through the SA High Commissioner in Malawi Mrs.
  Tsheole will create linkages between Deaf schools
  in SA and Malawi.
• The High Commissioner is leading this process.
  

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• Thank You