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Failure to launch: matching language policy with literacy accomplishment in South African schools

Abstract This article argues that the education crisis in South Africa stems largely from a literacy problem. The prediction that use of the primary language is beneficial in formal schooling is not unambiguously met in the South African context when examining evidence from large-scale literacy assessments. Understanding the reasons for this is critical for improving the use of African languages in early schooling. This article examines the Zulu and English reading literacy skills of a Grade 4 cohort of learners after three years of schooling in their home language. The research reveals low reading levels in both languages, suggesting a mismatch between language policy and literacy accomplishment. It is suggested that one of the primary reasons for the poor results in schools that have African languages as initial LoLT lies in the oral orientation to classroom practices in these schools. A more fully specified language in education model is proposed where an emphasis on literacy in the primary language may help to shift the focus where it belongs.