“Mother tongue as an instruction IS the correct thing. We must take the first steps and the first steps are starting next year.” Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, made this statement to education stakeholders who gathered on 21 May 2024, in the Free State, to hear the latest developments regarding the Mother Tongue- based Bilingual Education program (MTbBE).
She was with Deputy Director General for Transformation Programmes, Dr Naledi Mbude-Mehane, who has been going around the country doing advocacy work for MtbBE – having also been to KwaZulu-Natal earlier this month. This year, 2024, the department is preparing the system for 2025, when it aims to incrementally rollout MtbBE at least up to the end of primary school (Grade 7).
In the Eastern Cape province, where the pilot on MTbBE was implemented, notable progress has been made in ensuring that IsiXhosa and Sesotho – the two predominantly spoken African languages in the province – are used as Languages of Teaching, Learning and assessment (LoLTA) in MTbBE schools beyond the Foundation Phase.
According to Dr Mbude-Mehane, having language as a barrier does not only affect the education sector and that is why it is important to teach learners at least a minimum of three languages in Grade 9 so that they are able to communicate in their chosen professions.
“It is not about the child being able to speak English or Afrikaans, but it is about service delivery. Where will they be able to serve tomorrow? That is why we’ve said to UCT’s medical faculty that any child who comes to study medicine, even if they come from China, they must also learn IsiXhosa. Because what will they do when they are in Khayelisha? Multilinguism is for everyone,” she said.
Motshekga reiterated that having such discussions is important as it will move the country forward and prepare the system for the coming generations.
“I am saying that if we want to move to another level in the next 30 years, ECD is going to be key. We must get our act together. Language policies are going to be key – that we teach our kids in a language that they understand,” she said.
Joining in emphasizing these points, the Free State MEC for Education Makalo Mohale, said everything starts with education for it to succeed and that he is happy that the Minister is spearheading the journey of MTbBe and finding ways to implement it.
“We know if we implement it correctly, it will be beneficial to all departments of the government,” he said.