NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 1543
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 09/10/09
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 20-2009)
Dr J C Kloppers-Lourens (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether schools are giving the required guidance to parents that learners
should preferably be taught in their mother tongue up to at least Grade 6;
if not, why not; if so, (a) what does such guidance entail and (b)(i) how
and (ii) when is this done? NW1948E
REPLY:
(a) Section 29(2) of the SA Constitution makes provision for everyone âto
receive education in the official language or languages of their
choice in public educational institutions where that education is
reasonably practicable.â It is on this premise that the Language in
Education Policy (LiEP) provides for schools (depending on their
needs) to adopt either one language as a medium for learning (home
language) or use two languages â a home language in the early grades
and a second one later as language of learning. According to the LiEP,
âWhichever route is followed, the underlying principle is to maintain
home language(s) while providing access to and the effective
acquisition of additional language(s).
The National Curriculum Statement further recommends that ââ¦the
learnerâs home language should be used for learning and teaching
wherever possible. This is particularly important in the Foundation
Phase where children learn to read and write.â
However, since LiEPâs promulgation in 1997, many schools have
continued to use primarily English and Afrikaans as languages of
learning and teaching.
Where African languages are used as languages of learning and
teaching, they are used only in the Foundation Phase in schools
serving predominantly âAfricanâ learners, after which English takes
over as the medium of instruction. The transition to English as the
language of learning and teaching in these schools often happens too
abruptly and often before learners have fully developed the necessary
cognitive skills in their home languages.
It is against this background that the Language Colloquium, which was
hosted by the then Minister of Education in 2006, recommended the use
of mother tongue instruction up to Grade 6. In response to this
recommendation, two provinces have initiated pilot projects to
implement mother tongue instruction from Grade 1 to 6, namely, the
Western Cape (sixteen (16) schools) and the Eastern Cape (one (1)
school).
At these pilot schools various methods or forms were used to give
guidance to relevant stakeholders, including parents. Workshops,
advocacy campaigns and meetings were conducted wherein parents from
the participating school communities were informed about the
objectives of the pilot project before it commenced. Regular parentsâ
session are held to update them on progress made.
Parents were also informed about the Grade 6 WCED systemic evaluation
tests (through the medium of IsiXhosa), that demonstrated that
learners from the pilot project schools have improved their literacy
scores immensely.
The Department of Basic Education has now decided to make this matter
one of the critical priorities and look at specifically at the
implementation of the LiEP in a manner that ensures that all children
can learn from their first day at school.
Compiler: Nematangari M
Ext: 5217
ACTING DIRECTOR- GENERAL
Date:
QUESTION 1543 APPROVED/ AMENDED/ NOT APPROVED
MRS ANGIE MOTSHEKGA, MP
MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION
DATE: