Minister Motshekga announced during September 2018, that Kiswahili will be taught in South African schools as part of a DBE initiative on the decolonisation of the curriculum. The MoU and the Implementation Plan with the Kenyan delegation also included cooperation on curriculum issues to provide support in assisting the DBE to implement the teaching of the Kiswahili language. Dr Moses Simelane, Acting DDG for Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring, represented the DBE and Ms Salome Wenyaa, Director responsible for the teaching and learning of Kiswahili represented the Kenyan delegation during the study visit.
The implementation of the Kiswahili Second Additional Language (SAL) was to be proceeded by a pilot in Grade 4 in 2021 in 27 identified schools across the country; however, due to COVID-19 this was not possible. “With the pandemic behind us, the DBE is committing 90 schools (10 per province) to participate in the Kiswahili SAL pilot. The planned implementation is for the subject to be rolled-out in Grades 4 – 6 from 2025 to 2027; Grades 7 – 9 from 2028 to 2030; and Grades 10 – 12 from 2031 to 2033,” said Ms Maureen Keitumetse Modiba, Director for Curriculum Implementation and Quality Improvement (GET) at the DBE.
Ms Modiba further added that, “there are fifteen non-official languages listed in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) as optional subjects. Currently, the non-official languages offered as SAL in South African (SA) schools are: Arabic; French; German; Gujarati; Hebrew; Hindi; Italian; Latin; Mandarin; Portuguese; Serbian; Spanish; Tamil; Telegu; and Urdu. There is therefore no African language in the above list. Adding Kiswahili to the list will place SA, Southern Africa and Africa at the centre of teaching and learning; thus, promoting unity on the continent”.
The Embassy or the High Commission of the language of origin, takes financial responsibility for the teaching and learning of these SALs in schools. Teacher supply, professional development and the provisioning of learning and teaching support materials are borne by the Embassy or the High Commission of the language of origin; whilst the DBE offers technical support. The listing of Kiswahili SAL as a non-official language does not make it a compulsory subject for learners. The status as a SAL will remain as an optional subject and not for promotion and progression requirements. Schools that choose to offer Kiswahili as an additional language at SAL level should do so outside the normal teaching hours (27,5 hours). The Language in Education Policy provides for languages to be offered in schools as subjects; and Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) or used as a medium of instruction.
Language can be learned as subjects by learners at Home Language (HL), First Additional Language (FAL) and/or SAL Learners are required to take two languages as subjects at HL and FAL. English is a compulsory subject at FAL, particularly for learners who are going to use it as LoLT from Grade 4 onwards. SAL is optional (with no time allocation) from Grade 4 onwards. The DBE, through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture translated the SAL CAPS into Kiswahili. In addition, the DBE in collaboration with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) developed Kiswahili Grades 4 – 6 SAL Toolkits and conducted a Kiswahili Grades 4 – 6 SAL Orientation Programme to Subject Advisors who will cascade the orientation to identified teachers.
The NECT will also develop Learning and Teaching Support Materials such as reading materials, bilingual dictionaries and posters among others in Kiswahili; create a learning Resource Centre with print, electronic and audio-visual materials for Kiswahili; facilitate Kiswahili experts and qualified teachers to conduct teacher training, capacity building, coaching and mentorship; and institutionalise a coordination plan to offer technical support to ensure the effective implementation of Kiswahili in schools offering the subject.