UKZN Commemorates Youth Day 2021

The 16th of June is commemorated in South Africa as the Youth Day. It was sparked by the youth of 1976 who were marching against the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools across South Africa.

Today, South Africans pay tribute to the students of 1976. Also, we recognise the role they played in the liberation of South Africa from the apartheid regime fighting for their language rights. Lest we forget! May we never use language as a barrier to access knowledge! May we respect and be cognisant of the multilingualism that exists in South Africa! May we develop and promote all previously marginalized African indigenous languages! May previously marginalized African indigenous languages become the languages of teaching and learning, research and innovation! May we respect and use all official South
African languages, including the South African Sign Language (SASL,), Khoi Nama and San Languages!

UKZN HAS A BILINGUAL LANGUAGE POLICY THAT RECOGNISES ISIZULU AS ONE OF THE PREVIOUSLY MARGINALISED LANGUAGES IN THE COUNTRY.

LET US ALL COMMEMORATE THE DAY, IN HONOUR OF THE ROLE THAT LANGUAGES PLAY!