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5 Indian languages given indigenous status in S Africa
Monday, December 1 2003 11:31 Hrs (IST)
Durban: Five Indian languages – Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Urdu and Gujarati – have been recognised as
indigenous in South Africa.
The Indian-origin Education Minister in the province of Kwazulu-Natal, Narend Singh said in a statement
today (Dec 1, 2003) that the decision to regard the languages as "indigenous" was taken at a recent
meeting of the Council of Education Ministers of South Africa.
"These languages will now be recognised as subjects which pupils can study up to matric level," said
Singh.
Singh said it was now up to parents and communities to encourage their children to learn the vernacular.
He said after matric, it would be up to students to further their studies in the language of their choice at
university level.
Of South Africa's more than 1.2 million people of Indian origin, more than 50 per cent have Tamil as
their mother tongue, about 35 per cent have Hindi and the rest Telugu, Urdu and Gujarati.
Although people up to fourth generation know something of their mother tongue, most of them
communicate through the English language.
PTI
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