Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper discusses the absence or lack of use of African languages as an alternative tool of teaching literacy in KwaZulu-Natal schools despite the availability of a supportive legislative framework, such as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), the Language in Education Policy (1997), the revised National Curriculum Statements as represented by the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (Government Gazette, 2011). The problem of academic literacy in South Africa is also identified in several other studies. For example the Howie, et al. (2007)’s report on children’s reading literacy competence. This report evaluated the performance of Grade four and five learners from fourty countries. On this research the test was conducted in the language learners have been taught since Grade one. The results shows that South Africa’s literacy performance is far below international benchmark. Indigenous African languages are a vital tool in literacy development especially among children in that it helps them to a great extent to develop both fluency and accuracy in language. It also exposes the children reasonably in retaining comprehensive skills and in development of vocabularies. This technique helps the teacher to provide input that makes the language spoken in class both comprehensive and engaging. This study therefore analyses the availability of indigenous African languages in school’s language policies, as a vital tool in teaching literacy practices among the primary and intermediate school children. The main objective of the study is to investigate how is the language policy implemented to ensure adequate use of indigenous African languages for literacy development. The study also examines the factors that influence the acquisition of literacy practices through the use of indigenous African languages.