ENG1503
Assignment 2
Semester 2
DUE: 15 APRIL 2026
, ENG1503
Assignment 02 - Argumentative Essay
Unique Number: 185210
Opened: Tuesday, 17 March 2026, 8:00 AM
Due: Wednesday, 15 April 2026, 11:00 PM
TWO ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS PROVIDED
Multilingualism as an Approach to Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in
Linguistically Diverse Countries
The persistence of monolingual instructional models in linguistically diverse educational
contexts has long been a site of tension. In countries such as South Africa and
Zimbabwe, where constitutional recognition of multiple languages exists alongside
entrenched colonial language hierarchies, the question of whether multilingualism
should be adopted as an approach to teaching, learning, and assessment is both urgent
and necessary. This essay argues that multilingualism should indeed be adopted in
linguistically diverse countries, as it promotes equitable access to education, affirms
learner identity, and enables more authentic and accurate assessment of learner
competence.
The first argument in favour of multilingual education concerns access and equity. As
the extract from Ndlangamandla and Chaka (2023) asserts, language continues to
function as a barrier to access and success for many students in higher education
institutions. When a single dominant language typically English is used as the sole
medium of instruction and assessment, learners whose home language differs from this
medium are disadvantaged from the outset. Carrim and Nkomo (2023) reinforce this
point, noting that in multilingual South African classrooms, learners who are not
proficient in English are stereotyped as having learning difficulties, when in reality they
are simply being assessed and taught in a language that does not reflect their full
Assignment 2
Semester 2
DUE: 15 APRIL 2026
, ENG1503
Assignment 02 - Argumentative Essay
Unique Number: 185210
Opened: Tuesday, 17 March 2026, 8:00 AM
Due: Wednesday, 15 April 2026, 11:00 PM
TWO ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS PROVIDED
Multilingualism as an Approach to Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in
Linguistically Diverse Countries
The persistence of monolingual instructional models in linguistically diverse educational
contexts has long been a site of tension. In countries such as South Africa and
Zimbabwe, where constitutional recognition of multiple languages exists alongside
entrenched colonial language hierarchies, the question of whether multilingualism
should be adopted as an approach to teaching, learning, and assessment is both urgent
and necessary. This essay argues that multilingualism should indeed be adopted in
linguistically diverse countries, as it promotes equitable access to education, affirms
learner identity, and enables more authentic and accurate assessment of learner
competence.
The first argument in favour of multilingual education concerns access and equity. As
the extract from Ndlangamandla and Chaka (2023) asserts, language continues to
function as a barrier to access and success for many students in higher education
institutions. When a single dominant language typically English is used as the sole
medium of instruction and assessment, learners whose home language differs from this
medium are disadvantaged from the outset. Carrim and Nkomo (2023) reinforce this
point, noting that in multilingual South African classrooms, learners who are not
proficient in English are stereotyped as having learning difficulties, when in reality they
are simply being assessed and taught in a language that does not reflect their full
