Ndebele trust to correct Byo street names
A LOBBY organisation, Imvuselelo Yolimi Lamasiko EsiNdebele Trust has striked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) which will see the two working together in correcting misspelt Ndebele words in the city’s signage posts and street names.
The MoU will also culminate in the correction on misspelt names of Bulawayo’s suburbs such as Makokoba which the trust says should be properly spelt as Makhokhoba as in the case of Pumula that should be spelt as Phumula.
- In an interview, Imvuselelo Yolimi Lamasiko EsiNdebele Trust chairperson Isaac Nyandeni Mpofu said the MoU was born out of concerns by custodians of the Ndebele language that it is facing imminent extinction.
“We have agreed to work with the Bulawayo city council towards correcting misspelt Ndebele words in signage posts, public places as well as the names of the city’s suburbs. This is because we want to correct what is wrong,” said Mpofu.
He said the local authority has since assigned a team of council officials that are going to work hand in hand with Imvuselelo Yolimi Lamasiko EsiNdebele Trust.
“Our experts as well as those from council shall come together and do the necessary work in having proper names being written in signage posts and all other areas,” said Mpofu.
He said they are going also to research on the history behind the names of Bulawayo suburbs and make them public.
“We want people to know the background of those areas that they live in, the information is available but it is not out there,” said Mpofu.
He said the degradation of Ndebele language emanates from inadequate teaching practices.
“I think even in the teaching of the language in schools and tertiary institutions is not convincing. This is why we are in talks with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education so that we can also work with them in suggesting improvements in the teaching of Ndebele language in schools,” said Mpofu.
He said there were previous concerns on the setting of Ndebele public examination papers with some saying there were gaps that needed to be bridged.
“We hope we are going to be able to assist the ministry because we have scholars and researchers on the Ndebele language and that will go a long way in reviving the language,” said Mpofu.
No comments:
Post a Comment