By Levy Masiteng
Grade 4 learners across South Africa began writing Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) assessments in Natural Science and Technology on Monday.
The pupils will write mathematics on Tuesday.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) says this is a major step in strengthening foundational learning.
The assessments follow the introduction of the MTbBE programme last year, which is designed to improve learner comprehension and build a more equitable and effective education system.
Under the programme, learners are taught and assessed in their home language alongside English to boost understanding, deepen concept mastery and support stronger literacy and numeracy outcomes, the DBE said.
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube welcomed the start of the “historic writing” of the assessments.
“Mother-tongue instruction is one of the most powerful tools available to improve learning outcomes. When learners understand the language of teaching and learning, they engage more confidently, grasp concepts more deeply, and progress more successfully through the system,” she said.
According to the department, a total of 11 948 schools across all nine provinces are implementing Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education.
In KwaZulu-Natal, 3 558 schools are offering MTbBE in Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, and Sesotho.
The Eastern Cape has 3 860 schools offering Afrikaans, IsiXhosa and Sesotho, while Limpopo has 2 229 schools offering IsiNdebele, Tshivenda, IsiZulu, Sepedi, Setswana and Xitsonga.
Gwarube thanked teachers, school managers, provincial departments and parents for their support of the programme.
“This work is part of our broader commitment to ensuring that every child is supported to read for meaning and to excel in mathematics and science,” she said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
