Hon Speaker, the hon Smiles would know that we have always advocated the promotion of multilingual education and not of bilingual education. We are a diverse nation that speaks many languages and we think that multilingualism should be at the heart of our endeavours.
We will certainly take note of the HSRC's research and report. We certainly are, and have always been of the view - that is why we have mother tongue language in the foundation phase - that mother tongue instruction contributes to the conceptual and cognitive development of learners, especially in the early years.
We are also saying that we are endeavouring to introduce indigenous languages incrementally and progressively in our schools, because not only would this make our learners more in tune with our diversity, but it will also contribute, in a very significant way, to social cohesion, as language is a bridge to other communities. For that reason we will work very closely ...