African languages are then only taught as subjects and are rarely used as a medium of instruction. But this conclusion rests on a key assumption: “Instruction in English from as early as possible is the best way to become fluent in English.”. The result is that many South African learners attend schools where the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) is different from their mother tongue. What happens in South African schools is that children usually learn in their mother-tongue for the first three years (Grades 1-3) then switch to either English or Afrikaans in Grade 4 and continue with that language for the rest of their schooling career. Language Policy and Education in South Africa …. A much more flexible and open teaching and language policy would help teachers and pupils to enable a meaningful learning environment in a multilingual and heterogeneous classroom setting. This research tells us the average effect of language of instruction in South African schools as things are currently being implemented. Advocates of both “straight-for-English” approaches and mother-tongue instruction envisage a carefully thought-through set of instructional practices implemented by high-quality teachers and supported by sufficient materials. Finally, although our study points to the value of the mother tongue as the language of instruction, it may well also be important to strengthen the teaching of English as a subject in the early grades to help to facilitate the transition to English in grade four, as the curriculum and assessment policy statements recommend. at the . Our results are not directly informative for policy decisions regarding the extension of mother-tongue instruction beyond the grade three level. This policy decision would require additional research. Ongekho akekho! After all, evidence-based policy needs exactly that – evidence. The Language Learning Journal: Vol. There is a reason for this: research has proved many times that pupils learn best in their own mother tongues. Most children experience a transition from mother-tongue instruction to English instruction in grade four, something that by all reports is a difficult process. However, the suggestion that using English as the language of instruction from grade one would avoid this difficult transition is too good to be true. Many pupils then remain in schools that teach in their mother tongue right up to the matric level. However, we estimate the impact of the alternative models as they are being implemented currently, within specific contexts of schools, teachers and homes. Therefore, we cannot make deductions about what the impact would be if all teachers were able to speak English fluently and household poverty and gaps in school quality were eliminated from the South African landscape. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Teachers use code switching as well as a translanguaging process, alternating and blending languages to help pupils understand concepts. Bantu languages in education in South Africa: an overview. Last March, academics from across Africa and beyond came to discuss multilingual education in an African context, and to look at the language policy options facing South Sudan, Africa’s newest nation, which had become independent just nine months before. schools where the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) is English and/or Afrikaans (i.e. Parents or other members of the SGB often have a very biased language attitude that only favours English. Dr Stephen Taylor works in the department of basic education and Marisa Coetzee is a researcher in the economics department at the University of Stellenbosch. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 117,600 academics and researchers from 3,794 institutions. 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