The accessibility to English as a language of teaching and learning by learners of different gender in public primary schools of the Vhembe District, South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the accessibility to English as the language of teaching and learning by learners of different gender in public primary schools in the Vhembe District, South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 embraces eleven official languages to redress the imbalances that took place during the apartheid era. This is a qualitative study were a semi-structured interview was used to collect data from twelve educators selected through purposive sampling technique. Data were analysed through Thematic Content Analysis which suited well in the qualitative study. The research findings established that English is not fully accessed by learners of different gender in public primary schools of the Vhembe District in South Africa. The paper further maintains that since the prospect for primary school learners in accessing English appears very bleak in the Vhembe District, this could negatively impact their educational achievements.

Key words: Accessibility, Language, Teaching and Learning, Public primary schools, Vhembe District