A step towards multilingualism and equity in South African education

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act and the Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) will be implemented this year – to the joy of scholars and language specialists.

The BELA Act has sparked widespread discussion across the education sector, with proponents highlighting its potential to address longstanding inequities in South Africa’s schooling system.

Among the most vocal supporters are scholars and language specialists, who believe the law will significantly advance multilingual education, improve governance, and ensure inclusive learning environments for all students.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 6 February 2025, President Ramaphosa announced that government will introduce national policy, norms and standards and regulations to empower all partners in basic education to support the implementation of the Act this year. He also mentioned that the government will be implementing MTbBE from Grade 4 to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes.

This announcement was music to the ears of University of Cape Town (UCT) scholars, such as Associate Professor Lolie Makhubu-Badenhorst, the director of the Multilingualism Education Project (MEP) in the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED); and Dr Xolisa Guzula, a leading language and early biliteracy expert in the School of Education.

A much-needed update

In an interview with UCT News, Professor Makhubu-Badenhorst described the BELA Act as a much-needed update to the South African Schools Act of 1996 and the Employment of Educators Act of 1998. “Every Act should be reviewed after a period to address the gaps identified since its approval,” Makhubu-Badenhorst asserted. She noted that the Act strengthens provisions for language policy in schools, a particularly pertinent change as 21 February marks International Mother Language Day, a UNESCO-recognised celebration of linguistic diversity.

“However, UCT will be celebrating the day on 27 February when the newly approved UCT multilingual language policy will be launched. UCT views the timing of the BELA Act passing as opportune following the approval of the multilingual language policy and the framework for its implementation by the UCT Council. Processes for assisting faculties and PASS divisions with the language implementation plans are under way”, said Makhubu-Badenhorst.

One of the most significant amendments introduced by the BELA Act is the compulsory enrolment of learners in Grade R. This move ensures that all schools admit students from this foundational level, a critical step in addressing early childhood education disparities. Additionally, the Act shifts the responsibility for educator appointments from school governing bodies (SGBs) to authorised government officials. According to Makhubu-Badenhorst, while this change seeks to reduce potential maladministration and power abuse within SGBs, it may also encounter resistance from certain schools and stakeholders.

“Every Act should be reviewed after a period to address the gaps identified since its approval.”

Another major challenge, Makhubu-Badenhorst warned, will be ensuring that schools adequately budget for recruiting suitably qualified educators, particularly for African indigenous languages (AILs). “Proper planning is essential,” she emphasised, advocating for sufficient teaching and learning materials to support multilingual education. She also called for workshops and seminars to facilitate capacity building, stressing that South Africa’s 12 official languages, including South African Sign Language (SASL), must be fully integrated into the curriculum. 

MTbBE: A long-awaited milestone 

Dr Guzula regards the BELA Act as a groundbreaking step towards fulfilling South Africa’s long-overdue commitment to multilingual education. She revealed that the president’s announcement was “surreal” for her and her fellow colleagues. She added that the late Dr Neville Alexander, acclaimed linguist, academic and anti-apartheid struggle veteran, must be happy in his grave as he envisioned a system where African language-speaking children could learn in their mother tongues beyond Grade 3, rather than being forced into an English-only medium from Grade 4 onwards. “This enforced switch to English medium in Grade 4 was happening during apartheid and has continued for 30 years post-apartheid even though we have a Language-in-Education Policy of 1997 (LiEP,1997) that promotes bilingual and multilingual education.”

“Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education is about equity.”

Guzula explained that the BELA Act reaffirms LiEP’s core principles by promoting MTbBE. This model enables children to learn in their home languages while gradually incorporating English as a complementary medium of instruction, rather than an abrupt shift to English-only learning.

“Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education is about equity,” said Guzula. “It ensures that learners grasp mathematical, scientific, and social sciences concepts in languages they understand while acquiring proficiency in English.” She believes this approach will not only improve literacy and meaning making but also foster deeper engagement with academic content.

Addressing systemic challenges in education

While the BELA Act is a crucial step forward, Guzula cautioned that language policy alone will not resolve South Africa’s broader education challenges. “There are many other factors that must be addressed simultaneously, including teacher training, effective pedagogies, content knowledge, and the provision of conducive learning environments,” she stated.

A key recommendation is the alignment of teacher training programmes with the languages used for instruction. Currently, English and Afrikaans teachers receive training in their respective languages, whereas educators teaching literacy in African languages are often trained in English, with the exception of a few Foundation Phase B.Ed programmes that have begun training teachers in isiXhosa (University of Fort Hare, Nelson Mandela University, University of the Western Cape and the University of Johannesburg). “This discrepancy must be corrected not only in the foundation phase, but for the rest of schooling if we want to create truly multilingual education systems,” Guzula insisted.

Challenges and opportunities in language inclusion

One of the most contentious aspects of the BELA Act is its provision requiring schools to revise their language policies every three years to ensure inclusivity. Guzula pointed out that many former Model C schools have retained language policies from the apartheid era, often offering only English and Afrikaans while neglecting African languages. The Afrikaans schools also reject having to admit English speaking learners, even if they stay in the same community. On the other hand, many schools for African-language-speaking children have not changed their subtractive language policies from apartheid, which end up with the switch to English in Grade 4.

“In provinces like the Western Cape, learners should graduate fluent in isiXhosa, English, and Afrikaans.”

The bill further stipulates that schools cannot discriminate against learners based on language, a measure that has drawn criticism from Afrikaans-speaking institutions that prefer to maintain exclusivity. However, Guzula argued that linguistic diversity should be embraced rather than resisted. “Parallel and dual-medium schools have long existed for white English and Afrikaans learners. There’s no reason why African language speakers should not have the same opportunities.”

Another significant shift is the formal recognition of translanguaging practices among educators. Teachers have long used a mix of English and students’ home languages to explain complex concepts, despite policies discouraging this approach. The MTbBE being implemented legitimises these practices, allowing for bilingual learning and assessments that align with real-world language usage.

A vision for the future

Looking ahead, both Makhubu-Badenhorst and Guzula envision a South Africa where at least multilingualism becomes the norm. “In provinces like the Western Cape, learners should graduate fluent in isiXhosa, English, and Afrikaans,” said Guzula. This, she believes, will eliminate the current crisis where medical professionals, social workers, and educators are unable to communicate effectively with non-English speakers.

Furthermore, the BELA Act has the potential to accelerate the development of African languages as academic languages at universities and prepare ground for decolonised education. “This will eliminate challenges such as students studying to be doctors, lawyers, social workers, engineers and teachers who cannot speak African languages that we are currently having to deal with now. If implemented well, Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education could foster creativity, innovation, and ultimately, social cohesion.”

Despite the challenges that lie ahead, the two scholars remain optimistic that the BELA Act will transform South Africa’s education system for the better. “I think we will produce learners who have a deeper understanding of their subjects at school and courses at university as opposed to learners who memorise for exams,” Guzula concluded.