Despite an enabling policy framework that supports additive multilingualism in our education system (starting with a language the child knows best and continuing with it while adding other languages such as English or Afrikaans), what happens is that African language speaking children are forced to switch to English as a medium of instruction from Grade Four.
They go from learning English as a subject to being taught and assessed in English very abruptly. Many of our children are unable to navigate this change successfully, as there is very little support throughout this change and process.
All materials are in English, with very little developed for children to read in African languages and non-standard varieties of languages (“Afrikaaps”, for example).
In high school, up to Matric, we maintain the languages of power that have held sway since apartheid: English and Afrikaans.
Thankfully, recognition of the need for all our children to access learning in a language they know best and the need to learn English alongside it has been recognized in the early years of schooling by most.
Mother tongue-based bilingual education, a concept that has long been in place for English and Afrikaans speaking children, will soon be applied to African language speaking children from Grade Four to Grade Seven in a gradual process.
But when it comes to older children, teenagers and youth, we still default to English. But the need for mother tongue remains. Who among us can express ourselves fully in a second language?
The language(s) of our heart remains, while the languages we borrow fade when we are tired, emotional, or need to explain with complexity or detail.
As we get older, our participation in society grows, but too many spaces in civic life are governed by the logic and hegemony of English.
And so, participation is undermined when we do not welcome diversity of language, as it means diversity of voice.
If we only take seriously those that speak English in a “proper” way, how can we make processes, and systems, and people’s lived experiences truly democratic?
* Nadeema Musthan, Executive Director at the Fundza Literacy Trust.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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