There's an ongoing debate about how best to promote multilingualism in schools. But is this debate relevant when it comes to teaching science? PICTURE: GALLO IMAGESMother tongue education has long been a political hot potato in South Africa. This started with the 1976 Soweto uprisings when school children staged protests after Afrikaans became the medium of instruction.Today, the country’s policies promote multilingualism. But its schools are battling with a lack of African language teachers. Many teachers are not multilingual. All the high-stakes examinations are also taken in only English or Afrikaans. This means that most of South Africa’s 11 official languages take a backseat to English and Afrikaans when it comes to formal school learning and teaching.Language rights are enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution and there’s an ongoing debate about how best to promote multilingualism in schools. But is this debate relevant when it comes to teaching science? My answer is “no”. Ins...
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