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