No, the South African government is not removing English from public schools
In short: It is being claimed on social media that the South African government is “removing” English from public schools. This may be a misinterpretation of recent efforts to expand mother tongue bilingual education in schools beyond Grade 3. But English is not being removed as a subject or language of instruction.
From February 2026, a series Of popular positions on facebook have been in south africa Roam editions Of a claimFrequently phrased: “The government is removing English from all public schools!!! What a shame.”
(Note: See more examples from these posts at the end of this report.)
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a comment answer “The government wants to make sure we stay fooled,” one post theorized. one more Post It was suggested that “some schools in Nelspruit started teaching physics in Siswati last year”.
The former name of Nelspruit is bombelaA city in Mpumalanga province. Siswati It is one of the 12 official languages of South Africa.
but one more comment caution: “The government is actually trying to promote multilingualism, not remove English altogether.”
So what's really happening with English in South Africa's public schools, and should parents be concerned?
Current school language policies
South Africa is linguistically diverse 20 indigenous languages and 12 Official languages. Before 1994, there was a largely apartheid government imposed Despite differences, English and Afrikaans are the main languages of instruction in schools. Mother tongueOr the home language of most students.
The democratic constitution adopted in 1996 sought to address apartheid-era language policies. it Involved The right of South Africans to be taught in the official language(s) of their choice, where practical, taking into account “the need to redress the consequences of past discriminatory laws and practices”.
Government policies for language in education promote Bilingualism and multilingualism. The focus is on maintaining schoolchildren's home languages as well as helping them become proficient in additional languages.
Despite this, most schoolchildren in South Africa are taught only in their mother tongue first four years The school's, from Grade R to Grade 3.
because a small minority School children speak English as their mother tongue, this system Meaning When most children enter fourth grade, they switch from African languages to being taught English.
According To bua-litA group of language and education experts, this sudden and rapid change Meaning Children entering Class 4 often do not know English well enough to learn all subjects in English.
The group says that children in this situation “don't get the chance to show what they know, or feel confident to actively participate in their learning. Excluding children from their languages makes them feel unvalued”.
education department Link This switch is accompanied by an achievement gap between students with English or an Afrikaans language as a mother tongue, who continue to learn in that language, and those whose mother tongue is an Afrikaans language, who switch to English-only instruction in Grade 4.
it is thought Help From South African and international research. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, recommended Children receive “education in the mother tongue for at least six years”, noting that countries that implement bilingual programs have improved academic performance and lower dropout rates.
Government efforts to promote multilingualism in schools
First Basic Education Department Pur: A pilot version of the Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education (MTBBE) initiative in 2012. this program Expansion of Use of African official languages Languages of learning and teaching in specific non-language subjects beyond Grade 3.
The department said the initiative aims to “restore the dignity of African languages, eliminate historical inequalities and ensure that our linguistic heritage becomes an asset in the knowledge economy”.
According to MTBBE of Education Department strategyThis initial stage of the program includes two subjects: Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Technology. In January 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that by the end of 2025, “about 12,000 schools would have access to MTBBE”.
After this phase, the program will be continued annually by cohort over a five-year period “until the learners reach Grade 7”. The impact of the initiative will then be assessed Objective Expanding the program to include more topics.
Importantly, this strategy does not involve removing English from public schools. English will still be used as the language of instruction. For most students, where English is not their home language, it will be introduced gradually alongside their home language. The aim is to promote bi- or multilingualism, rather than switching from one single (home) language to another single language, usually English.
one way In practice this will work so that in Grade 4, 80% of the test will be in the home language, and 20% in English or Afrikaans. In Grade 5, English or Afrikaans will increase to 30%, and so on, until the split is 50% English or Afrikaans and 50% home language by Grade 7.
there are various ways Depending on a number of factors, including the current structure of schooling, multiple languages may be introduced in public schools. But none of this involves removing English from South African public schools.