Swahili, Mandarin to be introduced in Gauteng public schools: Lesufi

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced an ambitious plan to introduce Swahili and Mandarin as subjects in the province’s public schools.

The plan, which was revealed during his speech at Unisa's 25th International Mother Language Day event in Pretoria, aims to equip students with the language skills necessary to participate in a global economy, particularly as new economic players such as China rise to prominence.

In his address, Lesufi emphasised the significance of teaching children additional languages to help them remain competitive in Africa’s changing landscape.

“Swahili and Mandarin, we are going to announce in our state of the province address, will be subjects offered to our children in Gauteng so we participate in other economies,” he said.

The world’s economic dynamics are shifting, with China playing an increasingly bigger role, he said.

“We are now, as the Gauteng government, of the view that the time has arrived that there are new big players in the economy and these [include] China. If we have to contest in that space our children in the classroom must be given an option to learn the language and also take advantage of the positioning in Africa.”

The introduction of Mandarin as a subject has been a long-standing initiative. In March 2015, former basic education minister Angie Motshekga issued a government notice confirming Mandarin as a subject choice for pupils in grades 4 to 9, joining other non-official languages such as German, Portuguese and Spanish. This initiative was part of a broader effort to introduce Chinese language studies with the assistance of the Chinese government.

Similarly, the introduction of Swahili, which is an official language of the East African Community, aligns with efforts to foster social cohesion and bolster African unity through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“The introduction of Kiswahili second additional language (SAL) in the national curriculum statement will go a long way towards decolonising education in South Africa,” Motshekga said in a previous address. It will promote social cohesion and assist in the AfCFTA to unify Africa as a single market.

Despite setbacks in the Covid-19 pandemic, the department of basic education remains committed to introducing Swahili in South African schools. Motshekga had originally planned to pilot the Swahili SAL from 2021 to 2023 in grades 4 to 6, though the pandemic delayed these efforts.

As part of a wider strategy to improve language offerings in schools, the government has also expanded the list of languages taught in schools to include indigenous African languages such as isiZulu, isiXhosa and Sesotho. The Incremental Introduction to African Languages strategy, launched in 2013, aims to strengthen the teaching of these languages in schools, with a particular focus on marginalised African languages.

During his speech, Lesufi also highlighted the importance of investing in South African languages. He noted that Afrikaans magazines are faring better than those published in other languages.

“If we don’t invest in our language, our languages will die. If we don’t invest in our writers, our language will die,” said Lesufi.

To support this, Gauteng’s government has set aside R35m to fund language-based programmes. A portion of these funds will be allocated to support young black writers who publish books, especially those written in African languages. These books will be distributed to school libraries, ensuring more children have access to literature in their mother tongues.

“We emphasise the economic value of languages and their role in promoting inclusive growth, employment and innovation in South Africa,” he said. 

“South Africa’s sociolinguistic profile and economic challenges indicate the colonial and apartheid legacy that for decades has disadvantaged many of our languages and favoured certain languages, in particular English and Afrikaans.”

The premier also highlighted the multilingual nature of South Africa’s population, with millions speaking indigenous languages such as isiZulu (24%), isiXhosa (16%), Afrikaans (10%), Sepedi (10%) and Setswana (8.3%). Lesufi reiterated that all languages, regardless of their history or status, are vital to the cultural and economic fabric of the nation.

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