In her efforts to reform the country’s basic education system, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said that a curriculum based on learners’ mother tongue is key to tackling the unequal system plaguing the nation’s schools.
Gwarube’s address at the Kievet Reading Panel in Johannesburg spotlighted an education system that was not inclusive of all South African learners, especially in indigent schools.
In challenging the poor literacy skills in schools, the minister pointed out that a mother-tongue bilingual curriculum would drastically counter the 81% of Grade 4 learners who do not have comprehension skills.
“We must prioritise where we are now so that we can ignite a real call to action. Children who learn in their mother tongue are better equipped to succeed,” said Gwarube.
According to the publishing manager at Oxford University Press, Barbara Strydom, the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results indicated that only 19% of 10-year-olds can read in their mother tongue.
PIRLS is a test conducted every five years which studies the patterns of children’s reading for comprehension skills in Grades 4 and 6.
When children are taught in their home language, they are 100% more likely to acquire literacy and comprehension skills, compared with English as a home language.
Moreover, learners are more likely to complete their schooling years. There is also a strong and quickened development of their cognitive skills and cultural identity.
“If a child who speaks an African language starts school in English, their schooling is set back approximately six years. This is why the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum asks that schools follow an additive bilingualism approach. Additive bilingualism is when the additional language is added to a child’s first language (mother tongue) rather than replacing their home language,” said Strydom.
Concurring with Gwarube, Strydom noted that a mother-tongue-based curriculum would help foster a reading culture in schools, communities and homes.
“Children also deserve to love reading. If reading is enjoyable, and they are given stories written in their mother tongue to read, they can see themselves and their world in these stories. This will validate them and build confidence,” said Strydom.
In the same light, the minister said school safety was of utmost importance.
Learners and teachers have become vulnerable to crime and violence in schools, as cases of bullying, rape and murder are on the rise.
“If learners and teachers feel unsafe, they are unable to perform as well as they should,” said Gwarube.
She also emphasised poor school infrastructure as the reason school safety was declining.
“We must focus on maintaining schools, ensuring safety, and addressing the challenges that teachers face in unsafe environments. We must get the basics right – eliminate pit toilets, ensure teaching time is protected, and involve communities and school governing bodies in the maintenance of our schools,” she said.
In addition, the Early Childhood Development cluster should be professionalised for a smooth transition to the intermediate phase, where learners have already acquired reading and comprehension skills.
Calling for collaboration with other ministers to transform basic education, Gwarube said: “I wish to see the Department of Education not just being a social portfolio, being actually in the economic cluster, because that’s where it belongs. If you get this right, that’s how you’re going to solve your economic problems.”
The Star