Education expert warns of ‘unintended consequences’ of mother-tongue bilingual education

From next year South African schools will incrementally offer mother tongue-based bilingual education from Grade 4.

"There are things we have to confront as the country if we want to build on our development 30 years down the line. Language in education is a big issue. Language policies are going to be key that we teach our kids in a language they understand," said Motshekga during a meeting on Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

However, Makaneta said this might not yield the desired results in provinces such as Gauteng, where it could be used to exclude some pupils. 

"In a classroom where learners speak eight different mother tongues, explaining a concept in just two languages may defeat the noble intention of making education accessible to all. 

"Such classrooms are many in Gauteng, particularly in former Model-C schools and most of the private schools. It should be clear at this point that mother tongue-based bilingual education will not work properly. 

“In order to enforce mother tongue-bilingual education in this case, the school may have to create eight classes for Mathematics, something that is not feasible, especially in a country where we still experience overcrowding in schools.”

Makaneta believes Gauteng should be treated as a special case, as people from different cultures continue to flock to the province every year. 

"Again, there are people, especially in Tshwane, who speak a language, which I will call Pitori taal, also known as Sepitori. Learners in such areas may benefit immensely if they can be taught in both English and Sepitori instead of their mother tongues. 

"But of course, in other provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape, the introduction of mother-tongue-based bilingual education will proceed very smoothly. In such provinces, you still find the highest number of learners who speak their own mother tongue.” 

ALSO READ: