With 12 official languages, bilingual mother tongue education makes sense for South Africa. L-TOP/iStock/Getty Images Plus Language has always been used as a political football in South Africa.

Making South African Sign Language official is more symbolic than useful in the lives of a very marginalised community.

South Africa has hired 60 instructors to teach South African Sign Language as part of a state-run adult literacy programme, and Jamaican Sign Language was introduced into Jamaica’s national ...

World Atlas, an online site that studies demographics, says only 41 countries recognise sign language as an official language, just four of them in Africa - Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Only 8% of government departments are ready to implement South African Sign Language two years after its recognition as the 12th official language. PanSALB reports widespread challenges including ...