Education in the Language of a Learner’s Choice in South African Public Schools: an Educators’ Perspective
Erika Mariane Serfontein

Abstract
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa guarantees everyone the right to receive education in the language of their choice. Since 11 languages were awarded official status, educating learners in their language of choice is a formidable task. English has, thus, becomes the main language of instruction. In recognising that language users, themselves, determine the extent of change regarding language in education, this study aimed at establishing whether there are indeed a political will and personal conviction among the speakers of the nine indigenous official languages to bring about change in this sphere. Since educators should engage with this range of languages, the perspective of educators is important. It was found that, although many of indigenous language speakers remain to consider their language as part of their cultural identity, they still opt for English as the ultimate official language to be educated in. This is unfortunate as mother-tongue education has proven to be the best.

Full Text: PDF