09 Jul 2020

The Ministry of Basic Education says it will introduce mother tongue language as a medium of instruction in public schools next year.

Briefing Ntlo Ya Dikgosi on Wednesday, the Acting Director of Curriculum Development and Evaluation in the ministry, Mr Shadreck Majwabe said mother tongue language would be introduced in areas where they dominate from as early next year.

He however said Setswana and English would remain key mediums of instruction.

Mr Majwabe noted that 37 per cent of learners did not speak Setswana as a first language and the introduction of other languages was intended to help them understand content better.

He told Dikgosi that one of the many reasons why learners did not perform well in schools was the fact that they were not taught in their native languages, as well as nutrition and maybe long distance travelled to school.

He said teaching children in mother language would build social cohesion and inspire trust as well as instill learners’ dignity.

Mr Majwabe therefore said the ministry anticipated the pass rate to improve significantly following the introduction of use of native language in schools.

He said some countries such as Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya had already introduced native languages as a platform of learning.

Dikgosi acknowledged the decision to introduce mother tongue in schools, with Kgosi Moeti Monyamane of Kgalagadi North stressing that learners would be able to better understand when taught in their mother tongue at a lower level. Ends