The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), in collaboration with the Central University of Technology (CUT), the University of Free State and the University of Cape Town (UCT), will, on Friday, 05 September 2025, commemorate International Literacy Day under the sub-theme “Promoting Sesotho as a language of Science and Technology, Research and Teaching and Learning”. The event will be conducted at Japie Van Lill Auditorium, Central University of Technology (CUT) in the Free State and aims to promote Sesotho as a language of science, research, and instruction. The commemoration also seeks to inspire young scholars to publish in indigenous languages and build a community committed to African language development in academia.
International Literacy Day (08 September), declared by UNESCO, is observed annually to highlight the importance of literacy to policymakers, practitioners, and the public for creating a more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. The 2025 global theme “Promoting literacy in the digital era” calls for renewed focus on literacy in the context of digital transformation.
A highlight of the commemoration will be the official launch of the Sesotho academic publication: Boithuto, Ntlafatso, Poloko le Ntshetsopele ya Puo ya Sesotho: Malebela ka Ditsebi Edited by: Rethabile Possa & ’Matumo C. Ramafikeng and published by the Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS). This groundbreaking volume marks a major contribution to Sesotho scholarship and the intellectualisation of African languages in higher education.
The commemoration will bring together scholars and practitioners to reflect on key issues, including Linguistics and language policy, Literature and oral literature in Sesotho, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in folklore studies, teaching Sesotho using AI and emerging technologies, and Onomastics (the study of names) in Sesotho contexts. Indigenous knowledge systems and digital humanities.
The commemoration forms part of PanSALB’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and advancing the role of indigenous languages in science, technology, and academic research.
