Xhosa: schools still in the dark

WITH just under two weeks before schools close for the year, Nelson Mandela Bay principals are in limbo as they wait to hear from their bosses who will be teaching Xhosa at their schools when pupils return next year.

Following an instruction from the Eastern Cape Education Department to introduce Xhosa so pupils can choose if they want to be taught in their mother tongue, the principals are worried that implementation could cause further disruptions as there is still no word on how this will happen.

About 50 schools in the city will have the language introduced at Grade 1 level next year, with 14 having been piloted this year.

According to the principals, the department had said it would train the existing Xhosa teachers and dispatch them to schools as the African language policy was implemented in stages.

All the schools know for now is that posts for the teachers have been included in their allocations for next year, but the training has been put on hold until the process of matching excess teachers to vacant posts has been completed.

For some schools in the northern areas, where the year has been characterised by crippling teacher shortages and rolling school closures, getting extra teachers for Xhosa is a slap in the face after they were told there were no teachers readily available to fill their gaping vacancies.

Former Model C schools, which had to do away with Xhosa teachers who were paid out of school coffers, now have to reintroduce the language.

Grey Junior School principal Lindsay Pearson said it was unfortunate that schools were still in the dark with so little of the academic year left.

"It is the most unsatisfactory thing because while this is a noble idea and necessary introduction, there has been no word on who will be trained or brought in to teach Xhosa.

"It is now December and we are still in the dark," he said.

Cedarberg Primary School governing body chairman Damien Daniels said it did not sit well with parents that the school was getting teachers for Xhosa while there was no clear solution for the debilitating shortage of Afrikaans teachers.

"It is amazing how the department will say it does not have teachers when we tell them what we need, but is able to provide teachers when it suits them," he said.

Victoria Park Grey principal William Foaden said while the school had appointed a Xhosa teacher for next year, it was far from ready to teach the subject as the curriculum documents were still being awaited from the department.

Education expert Graeme Bloch said while the idea to teach African languages was a long overdue process, it could be a difficulty for the beleaguered provincial department.

"Knowing the unsolved staffing issues in the Eastern Cape, one wonders whether this will be implemented properly in such a way that schools are not further disadvantaged," he said.

Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools chief executive Paul Colditz said he would take his hat off to the department "if they get this right".

"Schools close next week and nobody knows what's going on. It is not like this was decided yesterday or last week, it has been coming for a long time. It is a grand idea, but unfortunately the department's record on implementation is not that great."

Port Elizabeth district chief education specialist George Lukwe said they could not give a timeframe on when training would commence.

"We know that there is not much time left, but [matching excess teachers to vacant posts] is a process on its own. We therefore cannot be sure when head office will have it finalised, but all will be communicated to schools in time."

Provincial Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said everything was on track for next year.

"We do have the capacity for this and more," he said.

"Principals were told in meetings that provision would be made for these teachers in the allocations for next year.

"We also have not given up the search for Afrikaans teachers and have made submissions to the national department to get from the pool of Funza Lushaka bursars."

Schools that had piloted the introduction of an African language said despite the initial hiccups, the move had been beneficial to pupils.

Herbert Hurd Primary School principal Glenn Harris said: "We were very blessed in that the teacher we got, who comes from the rural Transkei, is a highly motivated lady and has done a sterling job on our kids."

Sapphire Road Primary School teacher Bruce Damons said the introduction of Xhosa could not have come at a more opportune time as they were changing their language policy. - Zandile Mbabela