Reading English in Multilingual South African Primary Schools

Abstract

Post-apartheid South Africa has officially sanctioned multilingualism in a constitution that recognises 11 official languages. However, the status of all of the languages is not perceived as being equal. The majority of South Africans want their children to be educated in English, although this is not their mother tongue, and schools are under pressure to effect an early transition to English. In addition, the amalgamation of previously separate Departments of Education has allowed learners to move to schools where the medium of instruction is English. Thus, there have been significant changes in the language and racial composition of classes in the primary schools where English has become the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) and learners are expected to read English texts from Grade 4. The impact of these changes was investigated by testing the level of English reading proficiency of Grade 3 learners attending 20 public schools in Gauteng province. The performance of the learners is analysed in relation to the historical background of their school, their home language (L1) and the LOLT. The results reveal a wide range of language experiences and abilities within the same classroom and between different schools. The performance of L2 English learners was considerably below that of their L1 peers, especially in some schools, which suggests that an early transition to English LOLT may be perpetuating the inequalities of the past. These results highlight some of the difficulties currently facing teachers and learners in South African primary schools. Some implications of these results for the future of a multilingual society are discussed.