Student Assistants from Language Development and Support Unit (LDSU. From left: Ms Matsooana Mokoena, Ms Amogelang Thagane, Mr Victor Barends, Language Practitioner, Ms Kekeletso Matuka,  and Ms Palesa Pheello.

The Language Development and Support Unit (LDSU) staff took part in the National Multilingual Student Debate themed “Students’ Voices on the Language Agenda”, hosted by the University of South Africa (UNISA) under the Directorate of Language Services in the Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning.

The debate focused on South Africa's multilingual language agenda, with particular attention to multilingualism in higher education, the role of students in advancing language equity, and a national platform for students to articulate their lived experiences and policy recommendations on multilingualism in higher education.

The debate brought together undergraduate and postgraduate students from various universities to engage in structured, multilingual deliberations on language policy, access, and transformation in the post-school education sector.

The national debate was explicitly framed as an opportunity for students to shape and amplify their voices in the national language policy agenda, aligning with UNISA’s broader institutional commitments to inclusive, multilingual pedagogies and student-centred governance. It functioned as both a policy feedback mechanism and a capacity-building space, enabling students to move from personal narratives to collective, evidence-informed positions on language in higher education.