Kiswahili soon in schools

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the department’s plans to implement Kiswahili in South African schools are underway and that the department identified pilot schools and have started with the process.

“South Africa has embraced Kiswahili, which is an official African Union language, so there’s also lots of excitement that South Africa will finally embrace Kiswahili,” she said during a pre-budget vote media briefing in parliament yesterday.

“I am even talking with the minister of arts and culture to say, perhaps they should be able to provide that for people outside school because we will not be able to do it as the department of basic education [DBE].”

Motshekga was expected to table her department’s budget vote speech yesterday.

DBE director-general Mathanzima Mweli said this year, the department was only doing the piloting intending to get ready for implementation next year and that the pilot would happen mainly in Gauteng.

“We are looking at what comes out of the pilot to help us to plan for implementation next year in other schools,” he said.

The minister said although there were still issues about Kiswahili in South Africa, the country would have to deal with them as language issues, not as educational issues.

“I know people who speak English very well but they don’t necessarily meet the best people. So the key thing in education is cognitive development and it’s best served in the language you are comfortable in. If most African homes now speak English, it’s fine in the homes if that has become their home language, its fine for them because it will assist them cognitively,” Motshekga said. – ANA

There is lots of excitement that South Africa will finally embrace Kiswahili.

Angie Motshekga Basic education minister