The introduction of Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) by the Department of Basic Education is a landmark event in education in South Africa. This is a very exciting development that will open up education opportunities for the majority of learners who have been prevented from participating fully in learning by English-only language policies.
bua-lit has just released a new free online course Getting started with MTBBE to provide teachers, parents, district officials and anyone interested, with some background knowledge and practical teaching strategies for introducing MTBBE in classrooms.
The online course includes a mix of interesting videos, short discussions between education experts Dr Xolisa Guzula and Prof Carolyn McKinney, narrated PowerPoint presentations, short texts to read and quizzes to help participants to unpack key ideas and to demonstrate what can be done by teachers in classrooms. Many teachers have been working bilingually in classrooms anyway, using the learners’ home languages to make meaning, but without official approval. The Getting Started with MTbBE online course sets out to legitimise and build on teachers’ existing bilingual teaching strategies so that the teachers’ and learners’ home languages are recognised as valuable resources for learning.
The course should take about 3 hours to complete and participants have four weeks to do so. After completing the course participants can download a certificate to show they have passed the Getting Started with MTbBE course and are equipped to support the introduction of MTbBE in their schools.
This free online course Getting Started with MTbBE, has been funded by Zenex Foundation and endorsed by the Department of Basic Education.
Written by Dr Margie Probyn, Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research, University of the Western Cape
Access the course here.
Click here for a guide on how to register for the course.
09 April 2025
