Bert Van Pinxteren
Biographic Data
| ID | 108085 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bert Van Pinxteren |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bert |
| FAMILY NAME | Van Pinxteren |
| SIGNATURE | VAN PINXTEREN B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Leiden University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3387-923X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Decolonizing Cameroon’s language policies
Due to its colonial history and prevalent multilingualism, Cameroon is a country where language policies have profoundly impacted socioeconomic and political life. Cameroon has 273 local languages and two official languages, English and French. The two official languages have been a crystallization point for discontent and civil unrest, leading to secessionist sentiments and violence. In this paper, we assess Cameroon’s language policies, firstly…
The policy relevance of indigenous languages for higher education in Africa
Now that the goal of universal primary education has been achieved in Ghana, the nation’s aim is to expand higher education as a key to development. We argue that this expansion will necessitate the gradual addition of Ghanaian languages as a medium of instruction. We innovatively explain why this is so by comparing the achievements of the Ghanaian education system with one of the best education systems in the world. We use the conceptual distinc…
The relevance of medium of instruction and mother tongue for different types of educational systems
The relationship between student performance in education and medium of instruction needs to be investigated in a systems-oriented way, comparing what educational systems are able to achieve given different medium of instruction policies. This article combines data on language, medium of instruction, participation in education and effectiveness of education to propose a new categorization of educational systems: colonial systems, decolonial syste…
Botswana as a decolonial bastion in Africa
This paper follows the analysis of Vansina in analyzing colonization as an attempt to destroy and replace Africa’s autonomous cultural systems. It shows that in Botswana, this has been only partially successful, due to clever forms of resistance. Botswana has been able to keep part of its autonomy intact. This helps to explain the relative success the country has had. However, in the educational field, the country is now also one of the first to …
The “Elephant in the Room”
The content of education and the medium in which it is delivered are generally seen as two different things: a curriculum that is in need of being “decolonised” can still be delivered in a colonial language. Likewise, a curriculum that is colonial in nature could in theory be delivered in any medium of instruction. This article argues that, seen from a macro perspective, this belief is incorrect. In African settings (and probably elsewhere as wel…
Issues in introducing indigenous languages in higher education in Africa
As the most populous African nation, with one of the most diverse, and problematic, ethnolinguistic profiles in the world, Nigeria provides a case study for the potential introduction of indigenous languages in (higher) education delivery in once colonised territories. We argue that increased enrolment in higher education will become necessary for Nigeria to attain its developmental goals. We then discuss the limits to what the Nigerian education…
Why is a gradual transition to Botswana’s languages in higher education necessary? How can it be achieved
Where other authors have argued for the need for using indigenous languages in education in Botswana on human rights or efficiency grounds, this article argues for this need for economic reasons, in line with the country’s vision for 2036. Further increases in enrolment in higher education will mean that the country’s education system is stretched beyond its capacities, as shown by benchmarking Botswana’s educational system against that of Estoni…
Language of instruction in education in Africa
This paper reviews the major arguments used over the years in favour of mother-tongue instruction in Africa. It analyses the reasons that have been given for the lack of progress made. It suggests that the current Western paradigms obstruct a view of current and expected developments in this area. It offers a new analysis, based on the evolution of enrolment rates in education. The paper argues that in the next decade or so, a transition to using…
Education for Resilience
We examined existing problems relevant for education in global drylands and discuss their potential solutions in four fields, crucial for properly functioning educational systems: (a) response to low population densities, (b) governance, (c) language of instruction and (d) mismatch between education and the labour market. Our analysis leads us to the formulation of nine policy recommendations that may help create an educational system that streng…
National Culture and Africa Revisited
Africa is a continent of considerable cultural diversity. This diversity does not necessarily run in parallel to the national boundaries that were created in Africa in the colonial period. However, decades of nation building in Africa must have made their mark. Is it possible nowadays to distinguish national cultures in Africa, or are the traditional ethnolinguistic distinctions more important? This article uses an approach developed in cross-cul…
National Culture and Africa Revisited
Africa is a continent of considerable cultural diversity. This diversity does not necessarily run in parallel to the national boundaries that were created in Africa in the colonial period. However, decades of nation building in Africa must have made their mark. Is it possible nowadays to distinguish national cultures in Africa, or are the traditional ethnolinguistic distinctions more important? This article uses an approach developed in cross-cul…
Language of instruction in education in Africa
This paper reviews the major arguments used over the years in favour of mother-tongue instruction in Africa. It analyses the reasons that have been given for the lack of progress made. It suggests that the current Western paradigms obstruct a view of current and expected developments in this area. It offers a new analysis, based on the evolution of enrolment rates in education. The paper argues that in the next decade or so, a transition to using…
National Culture and Africa Revisited
Africa is a continent of considerable cultural diversity. This diversity does not necessarily run in parallel to the national boundaries that were created in Africa in the colonial period. However, decades of nation building in Africa must have made their mark. Is it possible nowadays to distinguish national cultures in Africa, or are the traditional ethnolinguistic distinctions more important? This article uses an approach developed in cross-cul…
Why is a gradual transition to Botswana’s languages in higher education necessary? How can it be achieved
Where other authors have argued for the need for using indigenous languages in education in Botswana on human rights or efficiency grounds, this article argues for this need for economic reasons, in line with the country’s vision for 2036. Further increases in enrolment in higher education will mean that the country’s education system is stretched beyond its capacities, as shown by benchmarking Botswana’s educational system against that of Estoni…
Language of instruction in education in Africa
This paper reviews the major arguments used over the years in favour of mother-tongue instruction in Africa. It analyses the reasons that have been given for the lack of progress made. It suggests that the current Western paradigms obstruct a view of current and expected developments in this area. It offers a new analysis, based on the evolution of enrolment rates in education. The paper argues that in the next decade or so, a transition to using…
Education for Resilience
We examined existing problems relevant for education in global drylands and discuss their potential solutions in four fields, crucial for properly functioning educational systems: (a) response to low population densities, (b) governance, (c) language of instruction and (d) mismatch between education and the labour market. Our analysis leads us to the formulation of nine policy recommendations that may help create an educational system that streng…
The “Elephant in the Room”
The content of education and the medium in which it is delivered are generally seen as two different things: a curriculum that is in need of being “decolonised” can still be delivered in a colonial language. Likewise, a curriculum that is colonial in nature could in theory be delivered in any medium of instruction. This article argues that, seen from a macro perspective, this belief is incorrect. In African settings (and probably elsewhere as wel…
Issues in introducing indigenous languages in higher education in Africa
As the most populous African nation, with one of the most diverse, and problematic, ethnolinguistic profiles in the world, Nigeria provides a case study for the potential introduction of indigenous languages in (higher) education delivery in once colonised territories. We argue that increased enrolment in higher education will become necessary for Nigeria to attain its developmental goals. We then discuss the limits to what the Nigerian education…
The policy relevance of indigenous languages for higher education in Africa
Now that the goal of universal primary education has been achieved in Ghana, the nation’s aim is to expand higher education as a key to development. We argue that this expansion will necessitate the gradual addition of Ghanaian languages as a medium of instruction. We innovatively explain why this is so by comparing the achievements of the Ghanaian education system with one of the best education systems in the world. We use the conceptual distinc…
The relevance of medium of instruction and mother tongue for different types of educational systems
The relationship between student performance in education and medium of instruction needs to be investigated in a systems-oriented way, comparing what educational systems are able to achieve given different medium of instruction policies. This article combines data on language, medium of instruction, participation in education and effectiveness of education to propose a new categorization of educational systems: colonial systems, decolonial syste…
Botswana as a decolonial bastion in Africa
This paper follows the analysis of Vansina in analyzing colonization as an attempt to destroy and replace Africa’s autonomous cultural systems. It shows that in Botswana, this has been only partially successful, due to clever forms of resistance. Botswana has been able to keep part of its autonomy intact. This helps to explain the relative success the country has had. However, in the educational field, the country is now also one of the first to …
Decolonizing Cameroon’s language policies
Due to its colonial history and prevalent multilingualism, Cameroon is a country where language policies have profoundly impacted socioeconomic and political life. Cameroon has 273 local languages and two official languages, English and French. The two official languages have been a crystallization point for discontent and civil unrest, leading to secessionist sentiments and violence. In this paper, we assess Cameroon’s language policies, firstly…
Political science (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Indigenous (5 works) · Linguistics (5 works) · Mathematics education (5 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (5 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (5 works) · Colonialism (4 works)