The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of parents on the use of translanguaging in teaching and learning in the context of Eswatini. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm, and a case study approach was used to understand the perceptions and insights of the parents on translanguaging. Five parents were purposively sampled using convenience sampling. These were learned parents who are also practicing in institutions of higher learning. Open-ended questionnaires and unstructured interviews were used to collect data from the participants. Questionnaires were distributed via the participants' emails. Study findings for the study indicated that parents differ in the way they perceive translanguaging as parents and as lecturers. As parents, they are not comfortable with their children learning in Siswati, and as lectures, they still prefer English as a medium of instruction. Based on the finding the researcher recommends that teachers have to be supported or guided on the appropriate use of translanguaging to enhance the teaching and learning in the classroom.
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Some parents take their children to the most expensive schools, even outside Eswatini (abroad) because they want quality education for their children. Some even enquire about the curriculum that is offered in the schools of interest, so that they enroll their children in schools where English is the mode of communication. The decision to enroll their children is influenced by a number of factors which include staffing and curriculum. Curriculum comprises content, teaching methods and the teaching approach in that particular school. Some parents do not choose a certain school for their children because of affordability or availability of space, but their decision is influenced by the curriculum that is offered. It has been observed that parents, however, have a limited voice in the decisions that the government makes towards the education of their children. For example, there is not much that they can say on the Educational Policy which articulates the language of teaching and learning. As such, English is the only official language of instruction in public and private schools from Grade 5 up to Tertiary institutions (Ministry of Education and Training [MOET], 2018; Dlamini, 2014). This means that, Siswati is only offered as a subject and can only be used in a Siswati lesson from Grade 5.
The use of a foreign language (English) as the only medium of instruction may limit Emaswati students’ understanding of abstract concept which may then affect negatively their performance (Probyn, 2015; Charamba, 2020). This view concurs with Karlsson Larsson & Jakobsson, (2020) who note that there is evidence of unsatisfactory academic performance in national and international assessments by most students who are taught through a language different from their first language.
Eswatini is also not spared from producing unimpressive results as reflected in the results of the Eswatini General Certificate Secondary in Education (EGCSE) from 2017 to 2020 (www// examination council of Eswatini). The analysis of the EGCSE shows that less than 40% of the students who sit for their examination are unable to get 60% (a credit) or more than 60%, yet the entry requirements at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) is a C (60%) or better. This means that fewer students qualify or meet the university’s entry requirement, and this is a cause for concern. The pass rate of the EGCSE results from 2017-2020 are presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Analysis of the ESGCSE from 2017-2020
| Symbol | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| A* | 1442 | 1045 | 929 | 730 |
| A | 3140 | 2764 | 2252 | 1892 |
| B | 15441 | 13497 | 12188 | 9633 |
| C | 28533 | 26347 | 26016 | 23521 |
| D | 25895 | 23920 | 24426 | 20101 |
| E | 21988 | 20070 | 19851 | 19428 |
| F | 16424 | 15728 | 16248 | 12581 |
| G | 9170 | 9192 | 8813 | 8497 |
| U | 9315 | 8690 | 10285 | 8756 |
| X | 2136 | 1813 | 2315 | 1455 |
| C and above | 48556 (36.99%) | 43653 (35.92)% | 41385 (34.2)% | 35776 (34.02)% |
| D-G | 73477 (55.94)% | 68910 (56.70) % | 69338 (57.3)% | 60607 (57.72)% |
Source: www// examination council of Eswatini