To ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive, literacy champions are calling for private, public and civil society sectors to prioritise mother tongue education as a vital solution to South Africa’s literacy crisis.
Johannesburg, South Africa (22 February 2026) – With literacy taking centre stage among the crucial causes championed this month, a recent Leadership in Literacy Dialogue held in Sandton brought together passionate voices.
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 stressed that true literacy development starts with the language a child knows best. She challenged stakeholders to move beyond mere words and take real steps to invest in the creation, publishing, and wide distribution of high-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:
- Expanding the production of books in indigenous languages
- Supporting authors and illustrators writing in African languages
- Embedding mother tongue-based bilingual education in early grades
- Funding language preservation initiatives
“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 all in attendance to intensify partnerships and investments that place mother tongue education at the centre of literacy development and language preservation in South Africa.
View this post on Instagram
Sources: Nal’ibali
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google.
Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:
Or catch an episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque or our Weekly Top 5 below. The videos here are always changing, updated with the latest episodes from these two shows. Both are part of Good Things TV, created to bring South Africans balance at a time when the news can feel overwhelmingly negative. Our goal is simple: to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in our country – and to leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.
by 