In this dissertation I provide the results of research on this topic. The struggles of African learners over the years are traced from apartheid to the post-apartheid era by establishing the gap between policy formulation and implementation. The study contrasts the challenges faced by African learners under apartheid education and those faced by learners in the new educational dispensation due to difficulties associated with non mother tongue education and those due to the monocultural schools that have little or no experience with diverse cultures. The findings are that learners who are not taught in the medium of their mother tongue do experience several forms of discrimination, racism and can lead to learners not maximize their academic potential.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2005.