Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is considering implementing a national pilot project for African languages in 80 schools in the province next year.
Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for Education MEC Donald Grant, said the department would probably introduce only one language during the pilot phase, most likely Xhosa.
In her budget speech in May, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said a new policy, which would mandate the learning of an African language in all schools, would come into effect next year.
Her department said all schools that didn’t offer an African language in their school language policy, would introduce, incrementally, the learning of an African language as another first additional language in grades R and 1.
But earlier this week Motshekga said the Council of Education Ministers had resolved to support a proposal that provincial education departments consider piloting African languages in 10 schools per education district from next year.
“The WCED will probably, within the pilot phase, consider schools that already have in their employment an educator trained to teach the language,” said Casey.
She said practical details were still being finalised with the Department of Basic Education.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Annette Lovemore, the DA’s Basic Education spokeswoman, welcomed Motshekga’s decision to implement the pilot project.
“This policy will increase multi-lingualism, improving the learning and communication capacity of South Africa’s learners in the process.” She said the plan fell short of the initial promise to provide universal African language coverage in Grade 1 by the beginning of next year and urged the Department of Basic Education “to redouble its efforts to make up for lost time”.
“We trust that Minister Motshekga will commit herself to this policy and work towards ensuring its successful implementation.”
Cape Argus