Re-Imagining Knowledge Canons in South African Education: An Inquest into Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education
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| Title: | Re-Imagining Knowledge Canons in South African Education: An Inquest into Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Bonginkosi H. Mutongoza, Sive Makeleni |
| Source: | Intercultural Communication Education. 2026 9(1). |
| Availability: | Castledown Publishers. Ground Level, 470 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia. Tel: 646-520-0676; e-mail: contact@castledown.com; Web site: https://castledown.online/journals/ice/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Bilingual Education, Native Language, African Languages, Decolonization, Racism, Educational Change, Language Role |
| Geographic Terms: | South Africa |
| ISSN: | 2209-1041 |
| Abstract: | This paper examines Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) in South Africa as a site for epistemic transformation rather than mere linguistic reform. While policy efforts have expanded access by incorporating African languages, classroom and institutional practices often remain rooted in Eurocentric epistemologies. Drawing on decolonial theory and existing empirical studies, the paper argues that MTbBE can only fulfil its transformative promise when language reform is coupled with pedagogical shifts, curriculum design, and institutional reward systems. It shows that translanguaging and bilingual pedagogy enhance comprehension and participation; yet, genuine transformation requires teachers to utilise African languages as resources for reasoning and knowledge creation. Re-authoring curricula and restructuring institutional incentives emerge as essential for sustaining such change. The paper contributes to debates on decolonisation by reframing MTbBE as a strategy for epistemic justice that links linguistic inclusion with cognitive renewal. It concludes that when African languages are recognised as instruments of inquiry, education can move from translation to transformation, fostering an intellectual order that reflects South Africa's multilingual and plural realities. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1505617 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper examines Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) in South Africa as a site for epistemic transformation rather than mere linguistic reform. While policy efforts have expanded access by incorporating African languages, classroom and institutional practices often remain rooted in Eurocentric epistemologies. Drawing on decolonial theory and existing empirical studies, the paper argues that MTbBE can only fulfil its transformative promise when language reform is coupled with pedagogical shifts, curriculum design, and institutional reward systems. It shows that translanguaging and bilingual pedagogy enhance comprehension and participation; yet, genuine transformation requires teachers to utilise African languages as resources for reasoning and knowledge creation. Re-authoring curricula and restructuring institutional incentives emerge as essential for sustaining such change. The paper contributes to debates on decolonisation by reframing MTbBE as a strategy for epistemic justice that links linguistic inclusion with cognitive renewal. It concludes that when African languages are recognised as instruments of inquiry, education can move from translation to transformation, fostering an intellectual order that reflects South Africa's multilingual and plural realities. |
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| ISSN: | 2209-1041 |
