At the recent Leadership in Literacy Dialogue held in Sandton, Nal’ibali Executive Director Lorato Trok called for renewed and coordinated efforts across the private, public and civil society sectors to prioritise mother tongue education as a critical lever in addressing South Africa’s literacy crisis.
Trok emphasised that meaningful literacy development begins in the language a child knows best. She urged stakeholders to move beyond rhetoric and actively invest in the development, publishing and distribution of quality reading materials in indigenous languages.
“Mother tongue education is not optional — it is foundational. If we are serious about improving literacy outcomes, we must be serious about strengthening African languages in our schools, homes and communities,” she said.
She further raised concern about the survival of vulnerable indigenous languages such as N|uu, warning that without deliberate preservation and promotion efforts, some of South Africa’s oldest languages risk disappearing entirely.
Trok called on government departments, publishers, corporates, donors, education practitioners and community leaders to collaborate in:
“Language carries identity, culture and heritage. When a language disappears, we lose more than words — we lose history and knowledge systems,” she added.
The dialogue concluded with a collective commitment from stakeholders to intensify partnerships and investments that place mother tongue education at the centre of literacy development and language preservation in South Africa.
For more information or interview requests: Thato Mahlangu | +27 63 691 9688/+27 79 036 0419 | thato.m@nalibali.org
