What happened when a South African school switched from English to bilingual science tests

Rufaro Makaya/Pexels South African no-fee primary schools use African languages as well as English for teaching and testing. Before 2025, children started learning in their home language in the first three years and then switched to English in Grade 4 (aged 10 and 11). Now, bilingual education is extending gradually into the upper primary grades. South Africa’s public basic education system serves roughly 12.7 million learners. Eighty percent of these learn through a language that is not their…