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On becoming literate in English: a during- and post-apartheid personal story

This paper offers an autobiographical narrative that draws on the experiences of one learner of Bantu Education (originated in 1953) who also studied in apartheid higher education institutions. By offering an account of learning to read and write in English as an additional language (EAL) within Bantu Education, the paper highlights the power of using a student's own voice as a research technique, reflecting on both the practice and the influence on policy of a pedagogy for under-development. The paper illustrates how a student's voice can be used to enhance our understanding of how many students who come from dis-empowering educational experiences can manage to produce complex texts (written and spoken) relevant to academic contexts.