Education Writer
THE Department of Basic Education has said it is too soon to judge its introduction of African languages at schools.
This was in response to reports in the Cape Times’ sister newspapers The Mercury and the Pretoria News that “plans to introduce mandatory lessons in indigenous languages across junior classes at primary schools have failed to take off”.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced plans last year to introduce a third African language to the school curriculum incrementally from next year in Grade 1.
To test the feasibility, the department planned to pilot the project at 10 schools in each province this year.
In a statement yesterday, the department said the news reports were “inaccurate” for two reasons – “these classes are only being piloted, and the pilot is only a few weeks old.
“It is far too soon to judge the success or otherwise of the pilot.”
According to the statement, provinces were finalising the appointment of teachers and support resources.
“The appointment of pilot schoolteachers has taken longer than expected in some provinces and as a result the teaching of the third language is only just starting at some schools.
“However, in other schools it is already happening, with very positive feedback.”
The department said it was aware of the scale of the challenge which was why it had not rushed implementation.
“The article appears to make a fundamentally flawed assumption, i.e. that the implementation is processed and affects all schools in the country. However, the reality is that 2014 is the year of pilot only and involves only 275 schools in the provinces.”
Clive Arries, principal of West End Primary in Mitchells Plain, one of the selected pilot schools, said the project had not kicked off at the school.
He said it was expected that the project would begin in the new term.