Incremental Introduction of African Languages gathers pace
The Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) has gained further momentum with the finalisation of plans to continue the pilot programme in Grade two in 2015.
In 2014, 228 schools, which previously did not offer African Languages, implemented the IIAL pilot in Grade 1 successfully in eight provinces.
The Incremental Introduction of African Languages policy aims to promote and strengthen the use of African languages by all learners in the school system by introducing learners incrementally to learn an African language in Grades one to twelve. IIAL is targeting non-African home language speakers to speak an African language, and in this way, the utility of African languages at First Additional language and Home Language levels will be enhanced.
In addition IIAL seeks to improve proficiency in previously marginalised African languages, raise the confidence of parents to choose languages for their children and increase access to languages beyond English and Afrikaans. The Department of Basic Education, in consultation with the Council of Education Ministers, has taken the decision to continue the pilot in Grade two in the 228 existing pilot schools as well as support the implementation of IIAL in Grade one in 49 schools in the Free State in 2015.
To this end, the DBE hosted a week of intensive training for the National Core Training Team. The workshop was held at the Premier Hotel in Johannesburg from 17 to 21 November 2014 and was attended by 66 core trainers from all provinces.
The training workshop focussed on the review of the Grade one pilot implementation, and the top up training programme for Grade two. Priority was given to unpacking of Grade two CAPS, First Additional language requirements, teaching of phonics in African languages, reading methodologies, a scaffolded approach to teaching writing in the early grades, school based assessment, development of lesson plans and the mediation of the DBE Workbooks and other IIAL resources (Big Books, posters, audios). The sessions included simulations of micro-teaching lessons on shared reading and writing, group guided reading and phonics.
Participants were capacitated to mediate the IIAL training programme to both Grade one and two IIAL teachers in their respective provinces. The DBE will provide Workbooks, Big Books, posters and graded readers in all the African languages and Afrikaans for the Grade two pilot. Provinces have been encouraged to commence the pilot implementation in January 2015.
The DBE has also put plans in place to phase in full scale IIAL implementation in the more than 3 738 schools that do not offer an African language in 2016.
