The merits of mother-tongue education

Abstract

The politicisation of the language issue in South African education should not contaminate real debate about the merits of mother tongue education in our schools. Recent continental research shows that this approach to education should not be dismissed out of hand. While African countries have embarked on new education policies and curriculum changes after Unesco's 1990 World Conference on Education For All, education success for the majority of children on the continent remains elusive.