24 Nov 2021

The use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction will improve learning. 

Various councilors said this after a consultative presentation by the Ministry of Basic Education during the ongoing Selebi Phikwe full council meeting on Tuesday. 

Selebi-Phikwe Town Council (SPTC) councilors welcomed this new development as they said it would bridge the gap between home and school and further assist learners to understand concepts better. 

Councilor for Sesame/Kagiso ward, Mr Oageng Makgosa said the introduction of mother tongue as the medium of instruction was crucial for learners at lower levels of education as it improved literacy skills and second language learning. 

He commended government for ultimately considering integration of minor languages into the curriculum, adding tthis would promote those languages. 

He said teaching in English and Setswana promoted only two languages, which may ultimately result in the death of other languages. 

Councilor for Hospital ward, Ms Dineo Makarapa shared the same sentiments arguing that mother tongue as a medium of instruction would improve teaching and learning. 

She said some students did not do well in school because of the use of languages they were not familiar with. She said this give Batswana an opportunity to learn other languages. 

Deputy Director in the Ministry of Basic Education, Mr Shadreck Majwabe had earlier on informed councilors that for the first time Batswana would see local languages being taught in class, adding that would help eradicate “language poverty.” 

He said the pilot project would commence in January 2022, targeting areas where other local languages were dominant. 

Mr Majwabe further explained that the new policy on education would serve as a democratic and unifying factor for a proud and self-respecting nation as it aimed to promote languages development and facilitate access to relevant quality education by all leaners. 

Further, he said the policy would facilitate systematic transition from home to school using mother tongue for instruction and provide a framework to guide development and use of different languages not only as a medium of instruction but also as subjects in the long term. 

ends