The DBE, TAQA and the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) will be celebrating Heritage Day on 24 September 2024, at the Sci-Bono Science Centre in Johannesburg and in hybrid format, with a focus on Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE). September is also UNESCO’s International Literacy Month, celebrated under the theme: Promoting Multilingualism: highlighting the benefits of multilingualism for mutual understanding and peace. Heritage Month 2024 is celebrated under the theme: “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom”. The tagline for Heritage Day is: “Our History, Our Story, Our Heritage”.
The objectives of the programme are to promote the MTbBE Strategy, its significance in improving educational outcomes and preserving linguistic diversity; and to celebrate African languages and multi-culturalism, as well as the importance of African languages in education, reinforcing language as a key component of identity and heritage. Another aim is to foster multi-stakeholder engagement in creating a platform for dialogue amongst educators, policymakers, parents, SGBs and cultural leaders to support MTbBE’s implementation in 2025 and further collaboration on multilingualism within the education ecosystem. Key stakeholders will be showcased to introduce their initiatives on promoting, preserving and celebrating African languages through digital and other materials and platforms.
Despite South Africa’s transition to a constitutional democracy in 1994 and the constitutional right to study in one's home language, this right remains unrealised for the majority of South Africans. Beyond Grade 3, only English and Afrikaans speakers, constituting less than a quarter of the population, have fully realised this right. Research shows that children learn best in their mother tongues and require at least 8 years of first-language instruction before transitioning to learning in a second language. DBE assessment data indicates that this disparity in achievement results along race, class and language lines widen as children move up the system.
The MTbBE programme, piloted by the Eastern Cape Department of Education in 2012, represents a significant step towards realising this right for all South Africans. The programme supports the belief that children learn most effectively in their home languages, contributes to the decolonisation of education, and aims to provide strong educational outcomes while celebrating African identity.
During the opening ceremony, storytelling in African languages will set a festive tone. It is anticipated that Deputy Minister Mhaule will deliver the Keynote Address on Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education in South Africa (MTbBE): Where Are We Now? The DBE will present on the MTbBE journey from pilot phase to national rollout with a progress update on the 2025 Grade 4 rollout. A panel discussion will follow short, impactful presentations by speakers from education, cultural and entrepreneurial sectors on storytelling, mother-tongue education and the role of African languages. In closing, Dr Naledi Mbude-Mehana, DDG for Special Programmes, will lead a discussion on the next steps for the MTbBE programme, emphasising continued collaboration and community engagement.