On 12 March 2010; I received a request from the Eastern Cape Department of Education (MEC Mr Qwase at that time) asking me to support the establishment of a Provincial Language Unit National as directed by the National Language Policy Framework (NLPF) of 2003, that all government departments set up Language Units by the end of 2005. 

Even then; this effort signaled a historic moment that offered both the DBE nationally and PEDs an opportunity to take learnings from such a revolutionary step both in terms of the transformation agenda and for educational purposes. 

This footprint is imprinted in the annals of history as a bold step in the implementation of the Language in Education Policy (LiEP, 1997), seeking to trial Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education. I supported this effort 100% from then till to date. The National Rapid Assessment study results of 2023 confirmed the reliability of the EC prototype to be replicated in the entire system. We have piloted. 

On the 21 February 2024, during the International Mother Language Day (IMLD), in my capacity as the Minister of Basic Education, announced a call to action toward a full realization of learners’ rights to learn through their respective home languages that are official languages of the Republic of South Africa in terms of section 6 of the Constitution. 

I launched a rededication to a renewed effort to ensure parity of esteem in all official languages of the Republic of South Africa, to use official home languages, not only as subjects, but as languages of learning, teaching and assessment (LOLTA) for Maths, Science and Technology, beyond Grade 3 in 2025. 

For practical purposes, and for systemic planning, January 2025 will be the year of fulfilling this Constitutional obligation which must be realized incrementally. 

This workshop must converse on how to strategically take this work forward. This means that the 2025 cohort of learners will write their first Maths, Science and Technology NQF level 1, General Education Certificate (GEC) in 2030 and NSC in 2033 respectively, having gone through a Primary schooling education in their home languages that are official languages of the Republic of South Africa. 

At that point we must be ready to provide them with bilingual examinations for them to choose while we have provided for them what English and Afrikaans learners have. Their choices should be wide. 

This is a critical change of the course of history for the children of our country born since the dawn of our democracy. Never again shall the children of this country, learn the language of learning first, then learn register of the content of the Maths, Science and Technology, and then only begin to strive to understand the content of these subjects in languages that are not their mother tongue. 

We are charged as government to make this possible; it is a Section 6 requirement of our constitution. MTbBE reduces the cognitive dissonance in the learning experiences of African language learners; it can no longer be allowed to continue. 
African languages that have official status in terms of the Constitution, deserve their place in the sun, like all official languages of the Republic of South African. 

This includes South African Sign language, we also state unequivocally, that the indigenous non official languages also deserve protection, respect and development too. We support all efforts to realize multilingualism. The time to rededicate ourselves to the dream of the freedom of education must go to the next level. 

As a country we aim for social cohesion at the highest level, and multilingualism is our ultimate vehicle towards the attainment of one nationhood. We have chosen to start off on Mother Tonge based Biligualism (MTbBE), in keeping with our Language in Education policy of incremental multilingualism, MTBBE teaching, learning and assessment, is a mechanism, to provide an overarching pedagogical framework to base learning for all children. 

This workshop aims to solicit views on how best to implement this. All over the world; countries are conversing on what moves the needle for poor children who do not have exposure to environments that support the literacy journey of children from birth. Learning to read and reading to learn have been the occupation of governments for developing and developed countries. 

We have engaged in a self-reflection process as the DBE and have come to a conclusion that we need a review of the Literacy strategy of the DBE, accepting that a one-size fits all reading approach is not working. We re here to discuss that. 
There are five workstreams that will be outlined by DM and which focus areas they must converse on, central to all these discussions is the use of the logic of African languages in education. 

An area that we have over the years; focused on their teaching as language subjects; the main shift now is the extension of their use in the system as vehicles of teaching, learning and assessment. To prepare for 2025, schools are currently providing data on e-forms to ensure a scientific response to the real language profile of each school in 2025. 

Artificial Intelligence is therefore a vehicle we will use to ensure success of the roll-out of MTbBE. Technology has been at the center of the development of English and Afrikaans; there are valuable lessons from these languages. 

The first announcement to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism was made by UNESCO, on the 17 November 1999 and was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly with the adoption of UN resolution in 2002. 

From that day, Mother Language Day is part of a broader initiative titled: “The potential role of technology in order to advance multilingual education”. That discussion must be key in this workshop. 

The National Rapid Assessment confirmed what we have always known; that teachers have been using African languages to teach content subjects right through to Grade 12 all these years; it is assessment that has remained largely untransformed. Assessment in Mother Tongue based Bilingual approach, will be a new feature of our Grade 4 learners in Maths, Science and Technology from 2025. 

Attainment of our learning outcomes is expected to gain deeper quality as we make teaching, learning and assessment meaningful and thereby ensuring that our learners learn meaningfully, and read for meaning. Learners will begin to enjoy the long overdue right to learning and reading with meaning like all leading and reading nations of the world that do so in their home languages.

The struggle for Grade 4 learners with the PIRLS was with the logic of English translated to African languages. The Assessment framework will now take into consideration the diverse nature of our context; and move away from just transposing logic into our multilingual diverse learning contexts. 

It takes an honest mind change to accept a responsibility, as a people and a nation, to confront the need to give effect to true freedom of all citizens of our beautiful country. Now that we have ensures that access to the classroom door has been attained for the majority of children in the country. 

It is time that we pay attention to what is taught in the curriculum and in which languages is it taught; to whom and whether it is making a positive difference to their learning trajectories. If it needs to be relooked and strengthened; a curriculum strengthening process must address such a gap. 

A workshop of this nature allows participants that unique opportunity; All participants have been invited because of expertise and interest that individuals hold; we value all your inputs to direct the sector to a way forward on language and literacy. 

In conclusion, the Constitution enjoins us to ensure, at all material times, the  recognition of the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of our people, and that the state must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages. 

The decision to launch out MTbBE campaign on International Mother Language Day (IMLD) on the 21ST February, this year, with Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) was with a purpose. 

We cannot do this alone; together we will ensure that the roll-out of MTbBE in 2025, is supported with expertise and technical innovation. Higher Education is our twin partner which will ensure continuity of MTbBE in Higher Education. Remember what we are in terms of National Education Policy Act 1997, a single and uniform system of education. 

This transformation program is of national interest as we prepare to hand over to the 7th Administration a sound package that can only propel the system forward.

I thank you.