President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an aggressive approach to transforming the education sector through interventions such as the ramping up of mother-tongue-based bilingual education. He conceded that mother-tongue-based bilingual education faces many challenges, which include resource constraints and negative attitudes towards African languages. He, however, stood his ground, saying that these hurdles can be overcome through sustained advocacy and mobilisation across society.
“Globally, strong literacy and numeracy outcomes are rooted in learners’ mother tongues. Our own data confirms the historical advantage this approach has afforded English and Afrikaans learners. “Since 1996, our constitution has enshrined multilingualism as a social, educational and economic norm.
Should the country fail to get it right at the outset, the commitment to a resilient and capable education system would not be realised. “It must begin where it matters most: in the early grades, where the foundations for all future learning are laid. Strengthening early grade reading and numeracy is a national priority and moral imperative.
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When children do not learn to read for meaning or to work confidently with numbers by the end of the foundation phase, the cost is borne by the entire education system.” “And that every classroom has high-quality, age-appropriate, grade-specific and culturally relevant learning and teaching support materials. Over 66% of learners who qualified for admission to bachelor’s studies came from no-fee schools The president described education as the engine of development, saying it is how citizens can be lifted out of poverty and how inequality can be overcome.
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