Nokubonga Ndlovu|Published
Grade 1 learners across the Western Cape will learn mathematics in their home language from next year.
This comes as the province expands a major foundational numeracy intervention to all public primary schools, with the rollout of the Bala Wande programme.
The new mother-tongue project is a joint initiative by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and education non-profit Funda Wande, aims to strengthen early-grade numeracy skills and foster a genuine love for mathematics across the province.
Pilot highlights the value of home-language teaching
The expansion follows a successful 2026 pilot that reached approximately 8 000 Grade 1 learners across 70 schools.
Emihle Mzulwini, whose child attends Grade 1 in Pelican Park, shared: “Once my child arrives home, they can genuinely clarify the meaning of 'dosa' [subtract] or 'dibanisa' [add] in their own words. Back when instruction was purely in English, they were merely committing numbers to memory without grasping their actual function.”
Teachers receive practical training
“When children are taught in their home language, understanding core concepts becomes much easier. Learning math is already a challenge; attempting to grasp it in an unfamiliar language starting at six years old doubles that difficulty,” remarked Grade R parent Andiswa Daniels.
Athabile Tshongweni, a Grade 1 teacher at Sonwabo Primary School, praised the practical approach of the training. "I am finding Funda Wande's programme interesting and helpful," Tshongweni said. "The training has been practical; it's not just about theory."
"Teachers need to leave this training confident that they can implement the intervention in their classrooms, especially since it's new to them," noted Nobuhle Mhlongo of Funda Wande. "At the end of the day, it's all about the kids—we want to see the learners learning."
In 2027, the full implementation will extend to all 1,098 primary schools in the Western Cape, reaching an estimated 112 000 Grade 1 children.
A structured approach to mathematics
To prepare for the rollout, nearly 3 500 primary school educators underwent training during the September and October school holidays. According to department data, 3,242 Grade 1 teachers and 225 Grade 2 teachers have participated in practical training workshops so far, with additional webinars, continuous professional development, and in-classroom coaching scheduled throughout the year.
The Bala Wande methodology moves away from traditional rote-learning in favour of a structured, three-step pedagogical framework: starting with concrete physical objects (manipulatives), progressing to visual pictorial representations, and finally moving into abstract numerical concepts.
Lessons are designed using a "I do, We do, You do" model, where teachers demonstrate tasks before guiding collective practice and eventually encouraging independent problem-solving.
"We aim to move beyond traditional approaches and offer various methods to create a classroom where every child understands mathematics," explained Ntsiki Nyamza, senior curriculum planner for isiXhosa at the WCED.
Although the spotlight is on expanding isiXhosa mother-tongue instruction, the WCED emphasised that Bala Wande supports all three of the Western Cape's official languages: Afrikaans, English, and isiXhosa.
Bronagh Hammond, WCED spokesperson said: “The subject Mathematics is a mandatory subject in Foundation Phase as outlined in the CAPS policy. To strengthen Mathematics in Foundation Phase the WCED is rolling out the programme to all Grade 1 classes. This is part of our Western Cape Mathematics strategy.”
Hammond said in 2027 it will be implemented in all Grade 1 classes, whereafter it will be incrementally rolled out to all Grade 2 and 3 classes.