Abstract
M.A.
South Africa is going through a transitional phase and urbanization, which among other
things, has caused many families to resettle. The education system is no longer based on
bilingualism with English and Afrikaans as the languages used in the senior primary
phase. Our multicultural, multilingual society requires that children from different
backgrounds be taught in the same classes. Schools in Eldorado Park have experienced
an influx of learners with other mother tongues than English and Afrikaans into the
schools. This influx has brought with it challenges for both learners and teachers.
Teachers had to adapt their teaching methods to accommodate these challenges. Coupled
with this is the rationalisation and redeployment process of teachers which is currently
taking place. This has resulted in big classes with some catering for as many as fifty
learners. Mother tongue speakers of African languages, with or without the necessary
language background in English and Afrikaans, are admitted to the schools in different
grades and find themselves in classes with learners who are fluent in English and
Afrikaans. In this study some of the problems that teachers and learners experience are
identified, the participation of parents in the education process is emphasised and the
importance of language planning with regard to the child's medium of instruction and the
school's first and second languages stressed. The research has touched on the
implications of various aspects of language acquisition and learning (amongst other
important findings). It was found that teachers need continual support from the
government, the parents and the school's governing body.