ISIZULU TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNING LITERACY PROGRAMME IN FOUR TOWNSHIP PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

This article reports on a study that was conducted to investigate how isiZulu-speaking teachers teaching Grade R to Grade 3 in four Pietermaritzburg township schools in KwaZulu-Natal have received the Foundations for Learning Programme (FLP), launched by the national Department of Education as a response to drastic deficiencies in reading and writing skills that have recently been confirmed among South African learners. In total, 14 Foundation Phase teachers participated in an interview-based study on their perceptions of the programme. Findings of the study indicate considerable uncertainty and unevenness in the way teachers interpret the FLP, and teachers of isiZulu in particular reported inability to engage with the programme because it was published in English and no isiZulu version was available. The conclusion is that the DoE must provide FLP resources in isiZulu so that teachers are enabled to use the programme for improving isiZulu literacy skills among learners.