Introduction of Kiswahili in curriculum to contribute to decolonisation – Minister Motshekga
Kiswahili, which is also known as Swahili, is an official language of the East African Community, which comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the introduction of Kiswahili (also known as Swahili) in the National Curriculum Statement will go a long way towards contributing to decolonisation.
Motshekga said this on Thursday when she tabled the department’s budget vote during a mini plenary of the National Assembly.
“The introduction of Kiswahili Second Additional Language (SAL) in the National Curriculum Statement will go a long way towards decolonising education in South Africa in particular. It will promote social cohesion and also assist in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area – the world’s largest free-trade zone, which was launched in January 2021, to unify Africa as a single market to develop the African continent,” she said.
Kiswahili is an official language of the East African community.
The East African community comprises of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
According to the minister, Kiswahili is a widely spoken language on the continent and is projected to be the business language of the African continent, therefore playing a significant unifying role.
Motshekga also said the department has decided to expand the list of second language offering into the curriculum.
She said the Incremental Introduction to African Languages (IIAL) strategy was initiated in 2013 to strengthen the teaching of previously marginalised African languages.
“We strategically decided to expand the list of South African languages offered as Second Additional Languages in the National Curriculum Statement. The additional languages are the Khoi, Nama, San languages, as well as the South African Sign Language (SASL) – thus concretising the Constitutional mandate of promoting and creating conditions for the development and the use of all official languages,” she said.
Information obtained from SANews.gov.za
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