Limitations and challenges to multilingualism in higher education

The liberation of the nation's indigenous languages and linguistic equality are directly tied to multilingualism in South Africa. This implies that the successful implementation of multilingual education in South Africa will require a thorough understanding of the linguistic implications of multilingualism. Many South African colleges and universities are still far from completely implementing multilingual education, despite a wealth of data supporting multilingualism in higher education. Furthermore, not much research has looked into the real reasons behind the notable slowdown in its implementation in South African higher education. This study identified and examined factors that may have slowed or are still slowing down the adoption of multilingualism in South African higher education. This study used a desktop research approach based on source document reviews and analysis of secondary research literature on multilingualism to identify and interrogate factors that may have hindered or continue to slow its implementation in higher education. This review presents a comprehensive analysis that adds fresh information to support and enhance the process of implementing multilingualism in higher education.We advised that the government increase financing for bilingual and multilingual programs and closely monitor the implementation of language policies at universities. Furthermore, rather than considering multilingualism in terms of a select few isolated multilingual practices, we advise higher education institutions to begin embracing multilingualism as a broad term. This will be made possible by improving collaborative platforms that let academic institutions share information about successful multilingual education strategies, reopening or creating language departments at universities, and conducting surveys and parent and student consultations to learn more about attitudes toward multilingualism and the silent student voice.