International research consistently shows that children learn to read and write most effectively when taught in their home language, and that these literacy skills transfer to a second language. Learners who build strong foundations in their mother tongue – while receiving early exposure to a second language – typically have better outcomes when formal instruction transitions to the second language later, even beyond Grade 7.
In South Africa, the legacy of apartheid policies which marginalised African languages continues to limit access to home language instruction and assessment beyond Grade 4. Yet policy momentum to expand mother tongue education is growing, supported by a body of local and international evidence.
This policy brief reports on the findings from my paper Linguistic interdependence? Foundation Phase mastery in home language as a predictor of Grade 4 repetition and EFAL marks, which contributes new empirical evidence using comprehensive data. Drawing on administrative data from six provinces between 2017 and 2023, the analysis tracks learners as they transition from Grade 3 to Grade 4 – the critical shift from learning in the home language to learning in English. Results show a strong positive association between Grade 3 Home Language (HL) marks and Grade 4 English First Additional Language (EFAL) outcomes: each additional percentage point in HL3 is linked to a 0.4 percentage point increase in EFAL4, even after controlling for prior performance, gender, and overage status. Stronger HL3 results are also linked to lower probabilities of repeating Grade 4. Moreover, girls perform better than boys in both EFAL achievement and progression, pointing to a widening pro-female gender gap at this crucial language transition. These findings support the current policy drive to expand mother tongue instruction in primary schools. However, with most learners already accessing home language instruction in the Foundation Phase, attention must be given to improving the quality of teaching and learning in these languages. The gender gap is not an easy fix – it reflects a pattern that begins early and widens through the Foundation Phase7 – underscoring the need for more research to understand and address its causes.
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