IN CONVERSATION WITH DR MBUDE MEHANA Deputy Director General, Transformation Programmes - Department of Basic Education

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has welcomed the commencement of
the historic Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) Grade 4
assessments, marking a major step in South Africa’s push to strengthen learning
foundations and boost educational outcomes.
Learners across the country began writing the Natural Science and Technology
assessments today, 24 November 2025, with Mathematics assessments
scheduled for tomorrow, 25 November 2025. These examinations form part of
the national MTbBE initiative, which allows learners to be taught and assessed
in their home language alongside English.
Building Stronger Foundations Through Language
The MTbBE programme is designed to improve learner comprehension, deepen
conceptual understanding, and enhance literacy and numeracy performance. By
enabling children to learn in a language they fully understand during the early
grades, the Department of Basic Education aims to reverse learning losses and
close long-standing gaps in reading and mathematics.
“Mother-tongue instruction is one of the most powerful tools available to

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improve learning outcomes,” Minister Gwarube said. “When learners
understand the language of teaching and learning, they engage more
confidently, grasp concepts more deeply, and progress more successfully
through the system.”
Nearly 12,000 Schools Implementing MTbBE Nationwide
This year, a total of 11 948 schools across all nine provinces are implementing
the MTbBE model—an indication of widespread commitment to strengthening
foundational learning through language.
The provincial distribution of schools participating in the programme includes:
 Eastern Cape: 3 860 schools (Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, Sesotho)
 KwaZulu-Natal: 3 558 schools (Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sesotho)
 Limpopo: 2 229 schools (IsiNdebele, Tshivenda, IsiZulu, Sepedi,
Setswana, Xitsonga)
 Mpumalanga: 768 schools (Afrikaans, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu,
Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Xitsonga)
 North West: 950 schools (Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana)
 Free State: 204 schools (Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho,
Xitsonga, Setswana)
 Northern Cape: 172 schools (Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana)
 Western Cape: 187 schools (Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, Sesotho)
 Gauteng: 20 schools (all 11 official languages)
These numbers, according to the Department, reflect the diversity of South
Africa’s linguistic landscape and the expanding national commitment to
language-driven education reform.
Acknowledging Teachers, Schools, and Families
Minister Gwarube expressed gratitude to teachers, school management teams,
provincial officials, and parents for helping to implement MTbBE effectively
throughout the year.
“This work is part of our broader commitment to ensuring that every child is
supported to read for meaning and to excel in mathematics and science,” she
said. “MTbBE strengthens the bridge between home and school, and today’s
assessments show the progress we are making in restoring dignity and

confidence in our classrooms.”
Expanding the Programme and Supporting Educators
The Department of Basic Education confirmed that MTbBE will continue to
grow. This includes:
 Enhanced teacher training
 Development of high-quality learning materials in all official languages
 Ongoing improvements to assessment tools
A Message to Learners
Minister Gwarube wished all Grade 4 learners well as they sit for their
assessments and encouraged them to do their best.
The rollout of MTbBE assessments signals an important shift toward more
inclusive, equitable, and effective education—one grounded in the power of
language to unlock learning potential.