EDUCATION MATTERS
• Investigating the role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in teacher training . An exploration of how pre- service teachers are taught should be considered, with a specific focus on the methodology of languages. Partnerships with HEIs are important to build and support capacity building programmes for training teachers and officials on effective reading literacy strategies. • Introducing mother-tongue bilingual based education (MTbBE) beyond grade 4 . Representing the most significant correction in the implementation of the Language in Education Policy (LiEP) since its formulation in the post democracy era, a transformative national strategy on mother tongue-based bilingual education has been proposed for implementation in 2025 and beyond. This strategy is grounded in affirming the constitutional right where every South African student thrives in a multilingual classroom, where diverse languages are celebrated and leveraged for optimal learning outcomes. The mission is to empower educators, enrich the academic experience, and engage communities through a mother tongue-based bilingual framework, all streamlined by the coordinated efforts of a National Language Unit and its provincial counterparts. In conclusion, PIRLS data highlighted a deepening crisis in educational outcomes and helped move reading literacy from helpless crisis to constructive correction. An improved strategy on reading literacy in the wake of astonishingly low PIRLS scores stimulated the recognition of a more inclusive diagnosis and remedy, promoting a culturally resonant education system, and promising brighter expectations for all South African children. ■
that the highest performing language groups in South Africa still struggle with basic texts and have limited reading comprehension skills. So, improving language of instruction across all official languages requires drastic correction. RECOMMENDATIONS ARISING OUT OF PIRLS Following a series of policy dialogues, the ensuing policy implications arose out of PIRLS: • Strengthen the teaching of mother-tongue based reading literacy (MBRL) in the foundational years of schooling . This could be in the form of professional development for language teachers to enhance their pedagogical content knowledge on teaching appropriate reading skills and techniques in the home languages of children. Teachers of indigenous African languages should extend their teaching strategies towards reading comprehension that is specific to African language morphology and linguistic structure. Readers who have a strong understanding of this can then draw appropriate conclusions after reading a text. • Revising the curriculum policy, specifically the time available for reading and writing . Currently the curriculum provides six hours for home language per week, but this period of six hours is divided among the different skills the learners must be competent in, leaving the skill of reading with only five hours per two- week cycle. This time could be extended considering the stages of reading and the PIRLS assessment framework. • Equitable provision of reading resources in schools . The DBE should allocate funding specifically for low socio-economic schools to have classroom libraries and/or digital platforms with books that are grade appropriate. The DBE should ensure the supply of a manual specific to teaching reading in different linguistic contexts to bolster teaching and motivate teachers to improve the cognitive demand of reading comprehension tasks in home languages.
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