Big boost for learning African languages in schools

In just more than a decade, every matriculant in the country is likely to be proficient in one of South Africa's nine African languages.

The class of 2027, who start Grade 1 next year, are set to become the first cohort of children to study three languages as the Department of Basic Education makes African languages compulsory at more than 3000 schools in January.

The aim is to get pupils to study a language "beyond English and Afrikaans".

Pretoria mother Lizhel Schutte welcomed the move. Schutte, who has a 10-year-old daughter , said: "It will solve a lot of problems if people can understand each other better."

Tricia Stoole of Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal said it was "fantastic" for children to learn a new language from a young age. Stoole, who has grandchildren in grades 2 and 4, said: "I wish they had done it when my kids were in school."

Schools will have choices regarding which African language is taught based on the language spoken by the majority. The school's governing body will then decide on that third language.

The indigenous languages that have been marginalised are Tsonga, Venda, Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Swati, Sotho, Pedi and Tswana.

Currently, only two languages - which include what is known as a "first additional language" - are compulsory in matric.

Pupils, including African children, have largely avoided studying an indigenous language.

Of last year's matrics, 432,933 wrote English first additional language, 82,649 chose Afrikaans and only 19,186 chose one of the indigenous African languages. Of those, 15,000 chose Zulu. Just 13 candidates wrote in Tsonga, 21 in Venda and 26 in Ndebele.

block_quotes_start English is not their mother tongue and that is why they do so badly. They understand mathematical concepts better when they are taught in Xhosa. block_quotes_end

Basic Education Department spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the shortage of African-language teachers and negative attitudes towards learning one were the two major obstacles to implementing the project.

The department stated in a report discussed at a meeting involving teacher unions and governing body associations last month that the learning of three languages fostered multilingualism as well as social cohesion. "You cannot stay in Japan, China, Germany and not know the Japanese, Chinese and German language," it said.

Governing bodies and teacher unions have expressed doubts over whether the roll-out would indeed take off in January, because of the teacher shortage.

Paul Colditz, CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools, said it was a struggle to find qualified teachers, even in English and Afrikaans.

The extra language is likely to compound this problem.

Teachers participating in a pilot project that was rolled out this year said the children were very excited about it.

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Nandipha Hani, 26, a Xhosa teacher at Mononono Primary, one of 10 schools involved in a pilot project in North West, said her Grade 1 pupils were excited to learn the language even though most of them were Tswana speakers.

Parkview Junior in Johannesburg is already offering Zulu to Grade 1 pupils , following pressure from parents.

Naledi Mbude-Shale, director of the language in education policy unit in the Eastern Cape department of education, said there was no reason for pupils to do Afrikaans as their first additional language simply because they were at a former Model C school.

Sydney Stander, spokesman for the Northern Cape education department, said 238 schools with about 17,000 pupils did not offer any African languages.

"These schools will offer Tswana and Xhosa in Grade 1 next year."

Studying three languages is not unique to South Africa.

A total of 32 countries in Europe are participating in a project known as Mother Tongue + 2, which involves children from a very young age being taught two extra languages.

sub_head_start Xhosa instruction reaps big rewards sub_head_end

A unique project involving pupils at 81 schools in rural Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape is paying huge dividends.

Pupils from grades 4 to 7 in these schools are studying maths, natural science and technology in Xhosa, their mother tongue.

The practice of teaching pupils in their mother tongue is largely confined to pupils who are in grades 1 to 3.

But the Eastern Cape Department of Education has given its blessing to the initiative, which is known as mother tongue-based bilingual education.

Last year, Grade 6 pupils at Luzuko Junior Secondary scored 100% in maths in the annual national assessment, against a dismal 40% in 2012.

The school does not have a library or science laboratory and pupils still use pit latrines.

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Principal Nkosinathi Mvumbi said pupils' results had improved dramatically in the two subjects since being taught in their mother tongue.

"Previously, their results were really poor in those subjects because they were taught in English. Now we are getting marvellous results."

Pupils are still being taught their other subjects in English.

"English is not their mother tongue and that is why they do so badly. They understand mathematical concepts better when they are taught in Xhosa."

Mvumbi was hoping that pupils could be taught all their subjects in their mother tongue.

Mayizole Skama, district director for Cofimvaba, said mother-tongue instruction was having a positive impact on pupils' academic performance in the district.

"There is no doubt that it has helped improve our annual national assessment results," he said.