SADTU Teachers at Work, History Lesson
Language in Schools
Lesson for Heritage Day, 2016
The teaching of children in the mother-tongue that they have from home, when
they enter school for the first time, may be a human right. If so, then it is a
human right that is not yet being well observed in South Africa. Motivation for
change in this regard comes not only from “human rights”, but also from the
relatively poor rate of success, and waste of effort, in attempting to educate
people in languages (such as English or Afrikaans) that they did not learn in
the home and therefore do not, in the beginning, know.
Imposing, on children, the stress of attempting, at a very young age, to learn
in a language that they do not understand and have not been taught, is a
cruelty. And of course, it is not successful. Children who are presented with
this hurdle generally do not advance as fast as children who are welcomed into
the formal education system in their own language.
This situation reproduces the legacy of apartheid, and it will continue to do
so until it is changed.
Incremental Introduction of African Languages
At the 10th Language and Development Conference held in Cape Town in
mid-October, 2013, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga announced that:
“South Africa has embarked on an Incremental Introduction of African languages
(IIAL) policy. The IIAL policy will be implemented incrementally commencing in
Grade 1 in 2015 and will continue until 2026 when it will be implemented in
Grade 12.”
And that:
“In South Africa, from 2012, the phasing in of English in the curriculum starts
in Grade 1, where English is offered as a subject at the First Additional
Language whilst the Home Language is the language of learning and teaching in
the first four years of schooling commencing from Grade R (reception year). In
these early grades of schooling the focus is also on developing fluency and
literacy in local languages to develop children’s sense of identity and
self-worth.”
At the same event, Dr Jennifer Joshua, Director: Curriculum, Implementation &
Quality Improvement (GET) said:
“The Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) policy intends to
promote and develop the previously marginalised languages thereby increasing
the use of African languages by all learners in the school system. The policy
also aims to increase access to languages beyond English and Afrikaans by all
learners, and promote social cohesion as a significant way of preserving
heritage and culture.”
The above quoted words indicate that there is a large programme under way in
South Africa, having to do with Language in Schools, pre-planned by the
Department of Basic Education.
In our Introduction, we noted that Language is not a centralised phenomenon,
but it is a thing generated, and constantly regenerated, by the people who
speak, write and read the languages, including the children. Therefore, as
important as the logic of the IIAL may be, it is the acceptance of it, or
otherwise, by the masses, that will determine its success.
At this stage, three years into the “IIAL” programme, we have not seen reports
of it in the public realm. Does it exist? We don’t know.
Heritage Day is September the Twenty-fourth
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