LDL - team

LDL
Linguistic diversity and literacy in a global perspective

"Ensuring educational achievement for children and social cohesion in
multilingual societies."

The LDL team

Brigitta Busch, Austria
Brigitta Busch is a senior researcher at the department of linguistics at Vienna University. Her previous experiences include:
1992-2002 expert to the Council of Europe (Confidence Building Measures Programme)
Head of the Centre for Intercultural Studies, Klagenfurt University (1999-2003)
Bi-lingual education in rural areas in Madagascar, bilateral project Austria-Madagascar (1998-2001)
"Pogledi", development of supplementary teaching material for schools in Bosnia-Herzegovina, bilateral project Austria/BiH (1999-2002)
Multilingual education in the SADEC region (evaluation of the TOTSA course, 2002)
Multilingual education in Ukraine, project sponsored by the Council of Europe (1998-2000)
Development of teaching material for mother tongue education (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian) in Austrian primary schools (1998/99) and for secondary schools (1999), projects coordinated by the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.

Neville Alexander, South Africa
Neville Alexander is the director of the PRAESA centre at the University of Cape Town. He worked as advisor to National and local education departments in South Africa on language policy in education with special reference to multilingual education and mother-tongue medium. He was chair of a Language Plan Task Group (LANGTAG) which had to draw up the outline for a national language plan. This plan has served as guideline for legislation pertaining to language issues. Until March 1998, he was also Vice-Chairperson of the Pan South African Language Board. He is currently a special advisor on language policy and planning to the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology and a member of the Western Cape Language Committee. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the ACALAN sub-committee on Implementing the Language Plan of Action for Africa.

Kum'a Ndumbe III, ,Cameroon
Kum'a Ndumbe is a university professor, NEPAD specialist, language policies and conflict prevention, founder of AfricAvenir
1974-1979 teaching at the University of Lyon, "Département des sciences du langage et de ses applications", 1980-1987 Head of the "German Department", University of Yaoundé, 1989 - 2001, teaching as political scientist, Africa specialist and expert in conflict prevention at the University of Berlin, 1995 - 1999 setting up of the foundation AfricAvenir, Foundation or development, International Co-operation and Peace in Douala, co-operation with the Universities of Yaoundé, Douala and GTZ (German development co-operation)
1981-1991: president of the Cameroon writers association, 1985-1991 Vice-president of the central African writers association (AEAC, Association des Ecrivains de l'Afrique Centrale)
Since 1998: development of the programme "Institution and Capacity Building and Extension of Educational Activities in Development Policy".
2001-2003: Organiser of "Dialogue Forums" and African Palavers on African Renaissance/NEPAD, integrating a scientific approach and Education for All also in native languages in the framework of AfricAvenir, Douala, and the University of Berlin. Project: African Renaissance: The New Struggle - Historical Perspective And Actual Political Dimension.
More than 50 scientific publications in French, German and English publicized in 13 countries, 30 literary works, numerous international Radio-and TV-emissions, interviews.

Viv Edwards, UK
Viv Edwards is a professor of Language in Education at the University of Reading.
Training for Early Literacy Learning (TELL): Collaborative Project with the Project for Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) at the University of Cape Town, sponsored by the British Council.
Project co-ordinator: Fabula: Multimedia Bilingual Books for Children. EC five-nation project, 1998-2001.
Editor of the international journal: Language and Education.

Carole Bloch, South Africa
Carole Bloch works as a multilingual materials facilitator and developer for PRAESA, a course convener for materials development on PRAESA's teacher training for multilingual education 1998-2001. Her experiences in the field include: Training for Early Literacy Learning (TELL): Collaborative Project with the Project for Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) at the University of Cape Town, and the NCCL, Reading University sponsored by the British Council.2002-2003; Early literacy curriculum and materials development for the GTZ supported Upgrading of African Languages (Afrila) Project in Namibia 200-2003; Early literacy curriculum for the GTZ supported mother tongue education project in Malawi 2000; Early literacy specialist for New Africa Books, Cape Town with the Takalani Sesame Project outreach materials development process 2002.

Maurice Tadadjeu, Cameroon
Maurice Tadadjeu is a university professor, Department of African languages, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon.
Chairman of the National Association of Cameroon Language Committees (NACALCO), a Federation of over 74 local language development associations.
1998 Chairman of the Panafrican Federation of OAU Associations and Clubs with membership in over 30 African countries.
2001 Maurice Tadadjeu was elected as the first Delegate General of the African Civil Society Organization (ACSO).
Professor Tadadjeu is specialized in Language Planning and Mother Tongue Education. He has been the brain behind the PROPELCA Project which has since 1978, successfully developed a program for mother tongue education in Cameroon, using a model of functional trilingual education.. The Cameroon experience in mother tongue education now serves as a reference for many African countries. Professor Maurice Tadadjeu initiated in 1998 an ambitious project, BASAL (Basic Standardization of All unwritten African Languages) intended to provide every unwritten African language with a minimal standard written form within the next 15 years, with the participation of some 3000 linguists.