ACTIVITY

1. Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally – either
directly or through elected representatives – in the proposal, development, and creation of laws.
It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of
political self-determination. The term originates from the Greek language (demokratia) meaning
“rule of the people”, which was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in
the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably
Athens. The term is an antonym to (aristokratia) “rule of an elite”. While theoretically these
definitions are in opposition, in practice, the distinction has been blurred historically.

The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an elite
class of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation. In virtually all
democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic citizenship
consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most
modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. The English
word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French and Middle Latin equivalents.

Democracy contrasts with form of government where power is either held by one person, as in a
monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals, as in oligarchy. Karl Popper
defined democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny, thus focusing on opportunities for the
people to control their leaders and to oust them without the need for a revolution. (Project
Gutenberg Self-Publishing Press)

2. Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is a curriculum and teaching

methodology that enables learners to participate well in education through the use of the first
language. MTB-MLE provides a strong foundation in the learners’ first language (L1), enabling
them to build on the knowledge and experiences they bring to the classroom. MTB-MLE also
provides a good bridge to listening, speaking, reading and writing the second language (L2), (L3)
of the classroom using sound educational principles for building fluency and confidence in using
the other languages for lifelong learning. (Dekker 2010:23)