Timeslive reports that the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) wants better funding and development of teaching in mother tongue languages at schools to improve education in the country.
"We have not debated this enough. Countries like Cambodia and Singapore are doing well because they prioritise teaching learners in their mother tongue‚” said Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke‚ addressing the 2018 Education Indaba in Pretoria on Tuesday. The indaba‚ a national gathering of education stakeholders‚ was scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The gathering was expected to take a close look at early childhood development. Maluleke said teachers needed to be trained to instruct pupils in their own language. "If we allow teachers to teach in mother tongue‚ we will get good results and good teachers." The process of hiring permanent teachers also had to be accelerated‚ along with having adequate support staff‚ Maluleke added. "Schools that are doing well academically‚ prioritise support staff," he opined. Basic Education director-general Mathanzima Mweli said challenges faced by the education department were‚ mostly‚ due to budget cuts.
- Read this report by Nomahlubi Jordaan in full at Timeslive
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