Perceptions of educators on the implementation of mother-tongue education in South Africa : a case study of selected schools in the UThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

The South African Constitution guarantees learners the right to receive education in the language of their choice. However, little has been done to realise the idea of mother-tongue education for all South Africans. More than 25 years after the end of apartheid, mother-tongue education in indigenous languages has only been implemented in the first three grades of schooling in certain schools. The number of English first-language speakers is only the fourth highest of all the language groups in South Africa. This means that majority of children in the country are taught in a language that is not their mother tongue. While research has been done on mothertongue education and its challenges, less focus has been put on the educators’ perceptions on mother-tongue education and this is a problem as educators are both the product and agents of this education system; their input is vital in making this a reality. It is in this regard that this study aimed to investigate the educators’ perception on mother-tongue education. The researcher used a qualitative approach which studies human experience from general as well as individual perspectives, adopted a multiple-case study research design and collected data using questionnaires. Data was collected from 30 educators in five schools of KwaZulu-Natal. This study will certainly contribute to a broader understanding of the role that educators can play in making mother-tongue education a success in South Africa. This study demonstrated that educators believed that the current mother-tongue education policy had learning benefits for learners in the UThungulu District. The study also found that the implementation of mother tongue instruction in UThungulu District was fraught with challenges such as ill-adapted terminology for mother tongue teaching, negative attitudes from the community, lack of training for teaching in the mother tongue and lack of resources. While teachers acknowledged the benefits of the policy, they also seemed to believe that the policy is only good for introducing learners to the education system and should not be continued into higher education. They also expressed the need for this policy to be promoted and given more attention so as to help educate the wider community about the benefits of mother-tongue education. The study is significant in shedding light on the role that educators as agents of the system can play in bringing about the successful implementation of mother-tongue education in South Africa.