The Language Question in Cameroon

Source:Linguistik online 18, 1/04

The Language Question in Cameroon

George Echu (Yaounde/Bloomington)

Abstract

In multilingual Cameroon, 247 indigenous languages live side by side with English and French (the two official languages) and Cameroon Pidgin English (the main lingua franca). While the two official languages of colonial heritage dominate public life in the areas of education, administration, politics, mass media, publicity and literature, both the indigenous languages and Cameroon Pidgin English are relegated to the background.

This paper is a critique of language policy in Cameroon revealing that mother tongue education in the early years of primary education remains a distant cry, as the possible introduction of an indigenous language in the school system is not only considered unwanted by educational authorities but equally combated against by parents who believe that the future of their children lies in the mastery of the official languages. This persistent disregard of indigenous languages does not only alienate the Cameroonian child culturally, but further alienates the vast majority of Cameroonians who are illiterate (in English and French) since important State business is carried out in the official languages. As regards the implementation of the policy of official language bilingualism, there is clear imbalance in the use of the two official languages as French continues to be the dominant official language while English is relegated to a second place within the State. The frustration that ensues within the Anglophone community has led in recent years to the birth of Anglophone nationalism, a situation that seems to be widening the rift between the two main components of the society (Anglophones and Francophones), thereby compromising national unity.

The paper is divided into five major parts. After a brief presentation of the country, the author dwells on multilingualism and language policy since the colonial period. The third, fourth and last parts of the paper focus on the critique of language policy in Cameroon with emphasis first on the policy of official language bilingualism and bilingual education, then on the place of indigenous languages, and finally on the national language debate.

---

full text

Cameroon: Orthography and Identity

Posted by sociolingo on January 2, 2008

Source: Cogprints

Orthography and Identity in Cameroon

Bird, Steven (2001) Orthography and Identity in Cameroon. [Journal (Paginated)] (In Press)

Full text available as:

Preview	PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader 168Kb
Preview	Postscript - Requires a viewer, such as GSview 1145Kb

Abstract

The tone languages of sub-Saharan Africa raise challenging questions for the design of new writing systems. Marking too much or too little tone can have grave consequences for the usability of an orthography. Orthography development, past and present, rests on a raft of sociolinguistic issues having little to do with the technical phonological concerns that usually preoccupy orthographers. Some of these issues are familiar from the spelling reforms which have taken place in European languages. However, many of the issues faced in sub-Saharan Africa are different, being concerned with the creation of new writing systems in a multi-ethnic context: residual colonial influences, the construction of new nation-states, detribalization versus culture preservation and language reclamation, and so on. Language development projects which crucially rely on creating or revising orthographies may founder if they do not attend to the various layers of identity that are indexed by orthography: whether colonial, national, ethnic, local or individual identity. In this study, I review the history and politics of orthography in Cameroon, with a focus on tone marking. The paper concludes by calling present-day orthographers to a deeper and broader understanding of orthographic issues.

Nigeria: Communication and human development

Source: The Tide News

Communication and human development
• Sunday, Dec 23, 2007

Educationally, the quest for mass literacy even to the grassroots in the 21st century as propagated by the National Education Policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria for a total emancipation of human development from the shackles of ignorance, social injustice and psychological effect of illiteracy for a virile society cannot be over emphasised. The point here is how this dream would be achieved appropriately. At this juncture, the electronic medium would enhance the spread of the programme for effective language communication.

In the human society, language communication plays a vital role for human development. Close observation has indicated that in the African context since the advent of civilization from the Northern region, lots of human development has been affected on language communication.
The period of primitivity and uncivilisation has become a thing of the past. However, in tern areas, the issue of adequate language communication is not dawn despite several medium of communication machineries in the form of science and technology.

Language communication is being periscoped in different dimensions by philosophers. Simply put language is Power. It is a medium of passing relevant information and knowledge required of the people. In a scholarly assertion, Professor A. S. Hornby and his cohorts had mirrored language as “human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, feelings and desires by means of a system of sounds and sound symbols.” Language was further described as a form used by a group, as well as manner of using words.

Taking a look into yesteryears during the era of the old Rivers State dispensation, there were four local languages that were prominently featured in news casting and utilization of other programmes earmarked to reach and educate rural dwellers on certain norms and policies of both ethnic nationalities and government at various facets.

These ethnic languages include: Ikwerre, Kalabari, Khana and Kolokuma respectively. Overtime, the issue of decentralization policy was given top priority and some other ethnic languages were considered and incorporated in the service of the Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation (RSBC), which include the following: Ndoni, Ogba, Engenni, Ekpeye, Abua, Andoni, Ogbia, Epie, Itari and others.

Without hesitation, the languages took off precisely with two programmes each, according to the directive on REQUEST, where greetings were sent across to relations and well wishers on CHIT -CHAT, as the Artiste - the Coordinator enlightens and educates his kinsmen on cultural and traditional ethics and other information relevant to the people. Pertinently, these programmes shortlived for only three months - April to June 1981 and was proscribed unceremoniously with a lame assumption that it might over load the singled AM Radio Station in operation then.

In view of socio-economic and human development, the Rivers State Government conceived a vision of establishing additional electronic industry, hence the birth of the Frequency Modulation (FM) Radio Station in 1986.

In the same vein, the television unit of the electronic media was also enhanced from channel 10 to channel 22 as bonafide properties of the State. Of course, these were developmental steps taken in the right direction to address the issue of reaching out to the rural areas with necessary communication in news casting and other related programme requirements.

Furthermore and precisely, October 1, 1996 the Ijaw speaking ethnic nationalities were carved out of the former Rivers State as autonomous sovereign State known as Bayelsa by the military administration of late General Sani Abacha. Invariably, the creation of Bayelsa State has actually lifted some socio-economic and political burdens off the neck of Rivers people and of course, a sigh of relief was heaved.

Retrospectively, it behoves one to posit: what has been the outcome of these social developments for the past 20 years of a ’sovereign State?
There is a biblical outcry that states “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” as propounded in the book of Prophet Hosea 4 v 6 first part. It does not necessarily mean that one has to attend a educational institution before certain things could be learnt.
Therefore, it is imperative that the entire citizenry need to be reached either academically and or traditionally to balance the equation of eradicating illiteracy and ignorance in the society with particular reference to the rural dwellers. Without mincing words, ignorance is a chronic ailment which could be cured only with adequate and appropriate enlightenment, entertainment and positive educational communication programmes through the electronic media.

For instance, there are indiscriminate deaths which are not natural in several ethnic groups in the world due to lack of knowledge as people bent on invocation and enchantment of evil spirits and consultation with devilish shrines at odd times.

Realistically, when the local languages are re-introduced into Radio programmes, certain norms and ethics would be corrected and the people would realize the value of self, fellow human beings and readdress the fetish characteristics that have beclouded the mind and relationship and communication shall be cordial.

In a television programme on Channel 6 of Friday, 27th November 1981 at 9.30p.m., the importance of language communication was lauded by Hon. Gabriel Okara thus: “Language is a part of culture because it transcends from one to another.” Similarly, in the Nigerian Star No.22387, during the 15th West African Languages Congress held at the University of Port Harcourt on 4th to 10th April, 1982, Professor Kay Williamson commented that “Our languages are important.”

Nevertheless, the two Radio stations owned by the Rivers State Government are more than enough to adequately accommodate the languages for local programmes in order to reach the rural dwellers.
In as much as the Broadcasting Corporation is going international in the electronic industry, it should not loose sight of educating and enlightening its people at the grassroots.

With all pleasure, Rivers State is socially and economically identified as the treasure base of the nation whereas a good percentage of the citizenry are kept in the darkness of ignorance and it has become arduous to express some pressing socio-economic problems as mineral producing areas.

Herein the rural communities should be acquainted and fully connected with Government decentralisation policies to enhance the living standards of the rural society. The denial of these policies is in deed, a developmental setback in a democratic system of administration in our modem dispensation. The broadcasting industry is not supposed to be engulfed with the Western activities.

Without hesitation, an example could be lent from the Ibo speaking areas where the citizens are always kept abreast of government’s programmes through the use of local languages for better understanding the local ethics to enhance the Western ethics alike. These programmes are intertwined and not to be lope sided.

Frankly, common customary exhibitions are eluding the people with greater concern to the younger generation as a result of the decline from the natural behaviours and enlightenment by the custodians. For instance, a greeting in some local dialects is becoming burdensome to the average sons and daughters of the modem age. The imperativeness of incorporating the local languages to return the people to the status quo cannot be over stressed.

Ominyanwa, a public affairs analyst resides in Port Harcourt.

http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=12/23/2007&qrTitle=Communication%20and%20human%20development&qrColumn=OPINION

Academic paper: Standardization of national languages

 The following UNESCO paper (pdf doc) has several African papers which may be of interest. You will need Adobe Reader to access it. (Download it here.)

STANDARDIZATION OF NATIONAL
LANGUAGES
SYMPOSIUM
ON LANGUAGE STANDARDIZATION
2-3 February 1991
edited by
Utta von Gleich and Ekkehard Wolff

More 

ACALAN: multilingual education in Africa

Source: UNESCO COURIER 2007 no10

For multilingual education in Africa

© UNESCO/Antonio Fiorente
Multilingual education based on the mother language must be developped.

Education should enable people to take root in their culture as well as open them up to other cultures. Africa needs schooling that integrates its languages, history and social values, according to Adama Samassekou, president of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN).

---

If education were a consumer product, we would make it fairer by distributing it equitably among all the peoples of the world, so that no one would be lacking. But if education is a process of conditioning, with the aim of shaping children’s personalities so that as adults they can find their place in the society in which they live, then the educational project is linked to a societal project.

In that case, would it be fairer for everybody to practice the same education, at the risk of falling into global cultural leveling? Isn’t the diversity of educational methods the best guarantee of the cultural diversity we are so fiercely safeguarding these days? From this standpoint, to increase fairness in education, don’t we have to make sure that all the world’s peoples have the means to create their own educational systems? And shouldn’t we think about taking concerted action to make education fairer, by making access to educational means more equitable?

---

Universal knowledge and endogenous knowledge

The need to preserve each people’s identity and singularity doesn’t exclude the need for communication and exchange with the rest of the world. If, in every corner of the globe, we succeed in blending harmoniously a certain quantity of universal knowledge and a certain quantity of endogenous knowledge, this education enables humans to take root in their local cultures and also to become part of an international culture.

Maybe it’s a dream, but it would be good to remember the greatest projects of humanity were, for a long time, dreams. Let us recall the wise words of Brazilian Don Helder Camara: When you dream alone, it’s just a dream; but when several people have the same dream, it’s already the beginning of reality.

In my part of the world, Africa, the situation is sadly only too well-known. Who has described it better than the author of “Educate or Perish”, the late Professor Ki-Zerbo (Burkina Faso), with his highlighting of what prevails on our continent: a culturally integrating education, which for decades has not respected the right of millions of pupils to have an identity; education that impoverishes, too, because it is disconnected from production; and finally a socially violent education, because it fosters the social exclusion of the less-privileged, who are handicapped by the preceding anomalies.

We need a school that is attached to society, not torn from it. A school that would give real actors back to society, and not victims of the cognitive violence represented by the repression of the mother language.

I am convinced that if we want to achieve education that is fairer in Africa, we must develop a multilingual education based on the mother language, an education in the African languages of the learner, in partnership with the European and international languages serving today as official languages in the greater majority of African states; an education that builds bridges between early schooling in the formal sector and literacy training for those who are past the age of starting school.

---

Education and culture are indivisible

Most African countries continue to endure an unacceptable situation: as soon as they start school, children start learning in a language they don’t speak at home. Introducing African languages in the African school systems – as a vector of learning and as a subject of study – is one of the goals of the African Academy of Languages, which I head. We decided to undertake a genuine rehabilitation process for education at continent level, by reestablishing the link between education and culture and by including our languages and our history in school curricula. It’s what I call the reestablishment of the African educational system, characterized by three essential principles, like the three stones of the African hearth: rebuilding cultural identity of the learner by taking as a base the simultaneous use of the mother language and the official language; linking school to life, by restructuring curricula and promoting professional training, entrepreneurship and active educational methods; and promoting a dynamic of partnership around and for the benefit of the school, allowing the entire educational community to contribute to a school project in which participants can recognize themselves.

Taking African languages into account as working languages in all domains of public life must start at school, the best place for building know-how and developing knowledge, before it takes its place in other social spheres. Africa is the only continent in the world where, in most countries, the person on trial doesn’t have access to justice in his or her mother language, and still has to rely on an interpretation system inherited from the colonial period. Let us remember the indignation of Mahatma Gandhi, who as a lawyer in court was obliged to express himself in English while an interpreter translated his words into his own mother language. “Isn’t this ridiculous,” he would say. “Isn’t it a sign of slavery? Must I blame the English or myself?”

Africa has decided to change the situation by creating the African Academy of Languages. It’s a continental structure concerned with all language issues, which makes it unique in the world. It aims to set up a real partnership in Africa between what I would call “Africanophony” – the condition of speaking one or several African languages – and other linguistic spheres: English-speaking, French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking etc, with a view to intercultural civic education. In this way, the African Academy of Languages represents one of the major catalysts for the ongoing African cultural Renaissance.

This article is taken from Adama Samassekou’s talk at the session of “21st Century Dialogues” held at UNESCO on 13 September 2007 on the topic “How to make education fairer?”

Adama Samassekou, President of the African Academy of Languages, former Minister of Education of Mali (1993-2000)

African thesis: The status and use of African languages in Sudan

Source: AFRIKANSKA SPRÅK
The status and use of African languages in Sudan
Participant Helene Fatima Idris

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to describe the status and use of African languages (minority languages in numerical and functional terms) versus Arabic (the only official language). The study is based on data collected in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, and in Greater Khartoum, the national capital of Sudan.

Majority and Minority Languages in South Africa.

Majority and Minority Languages in South Africa.
Alexander, Neville

This paper discusses three categories of languages in post-apartheid South Africa: high-status, low-status, and endangered. The first section presents demolinguistic profiles and their representation in the media, offering data on the relative numerical importance of the main languages used in South Africa and the average and proportional allocation at three South African Broadcasting Corporation stations in 1996. The second section examines the sociolinguistic status of South Africa’s languages, noting the processes that shaped language policy and attitudes during the past 50 years. The third section discusses language in education, explaining that most educators in South Africa continue to think of the indigenous African languages as impediments to be overcome on the way to mastering the English language. The fourth section describes prospects for African languages in South Africa and its education system. The paper concludes that a series of language planning steps is necessary to ensure that the theoretically unchallengeable policy positions of the new South Africa are realized. Recommendations include large scale generalized critical language awareness campaigns, multilingual or bilingual signposts and nameboards for all government buildings and roads, and large-scale training for interpreters, translators, journalists, media practitioners, and teachers. (SM)

South Africa: Language issues and challenges

Seen on the language policy email list

Speaking notes, Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor MP, at the Language Policy Implementation in Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs) Conference,
University of South Africa, Pretoria
5 October 2006

“Language issues and challenges”

Professor Neo Mathabe
Professor Chris Swanepoel
Professor Finlayson
Members of UNISA Council
Conference participants

Universities are leading agents of social enquiry and usually leaders in the creation of new ideas and solutions. I hope that this conference will assist in the development of a reasoned and balanced deliberation on the role and place all languages should have in education, and in the social progress of South Africa.

Our constitution asserts that all our languages have equal status. But in recognition of the marginalisation of indigenous languages in our past, “the state must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages.”

Regarding language in education, the Constitution states that, “everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably practicable” (Section 29(2) of the Constitution). Further, it indicates that the exercise of language choices in education should not be in conflict with considerations of equity and redress within the context of our shared values and aspirations as a nation. The Department of Education has published policy to give effect to these provisions of the Constitution. The Language in Education Policy (1997) and the Language Policy for Higher Education (2002) were designed to promote multilingualism in the education sector. Their aim is to ensure that all South African languages are “developed to their full capacity while at the same time ensuring that the existing languages of instruction (English and
Afrikaans) do not serve as a barrier to access and success.”

The published policy encourages the development of indigenous African languages as mediums of instruction in the higher education system, alongside English and Afrikaans. In 2003, the Ministry appointed a Ministerial Committee, chaired by Professor Njabulo Ndebele, to provide advice for the development and use of African indigenous languages as mediums of instructions in higher education. The committee report made a startling but not surprising finding that the future of African languages as mediums of instruction is bleak if nothing is done immediately. It recommended development of a “well co-ordinated, long-range national plan that would work at national, provincial and local levels to provide adequate resources and support for indigenous African languages.”

Certainly, the success of such a plan would require systemic under-girding by the entire schooling system and the enhanced public and social use of indigenous African languages in the daily lives of South Africans. The committee also recommended that each tertiary institution in South Africa should identify an indigenous African language of choice for initial development as medium of instruction.
Where the language of choice is a particular regionally dominant language, Higher Education Institutions in that region should utilise a regional approach.

I am pleased that a number of universities have responded positively to the language policy for higher education and some of the recommendations made by the Ministerial Committee and have developed and revised their institutional language policies to align them with the national policy. I continue to engage with stakeholders and role-players on language issues, so as to seek ways of finding a better and more effective implementation of our language policy.

On 31 July this year the Department of Education hosted a language colloquium in Cape Town. At the colloquium concern was expressed over the slow implementation of language policy and over a variety of barriers to its implementation. There was consensus that the current school language policy (1997) should be retained and that measures should be taken to ensure its implementation. Two messages, which came out loud and clear from the various inputs, were the following:

* that the Department of Education needs to encourage mother-tongue education for at least six-years
* that higher education needs to play an active role in developing and promoting the learning and teaching of indigenous languages.

As a result of the colloquium, the department undertook to develop a plan to implement the language policy. The plan will focus on the following areas of intervention:

(a) A national six-year mother tongue education programme aimed at using learners’ home languages as mediums of instruction in the foundation and intermediate phase. In this regard, the programme will make a distinction between schools serving uni-lingual and multi-lingual learner populations.

(b) A national general and further education second language programme.

(c) A national indigenous language learning programme that will focus on the compulsory achievement of communicative competence in an indigenous language by all learners. This will also incorporate the role of provinces in developing and promoting the learning of languages that are official in those provinces.

(d) A national programme to make available to learners all external assessment tools in the national Senior Certificate and later in grade
9 and systemic evaluation at grades 3 and 6 in indigenous languages.

The aim of this component of the implementation plan is to assist learners who are currently learning in a second language to understand the assessment instruments better.

(e) A national programme to revitalise the teaching and learning of indigenous languages in higher education institutions. This will focus on supporting the learning of the languages in all undergraduate programmes and also in teacher-education programmes.

(f) Launching a vigorous information and advocacy aimed at assisting parents and learners to make informed language decisions.

(g) The development of capacity at all levels of the system to implement all aspects of the language in education policy. This requires a focus on the development of the language support services of school district teams and the provision of support for school management teams and school governing bodies to implement the language in education policy.

With respect to the higher education sector, the language policy for higher education will guide activities in this area. A number of initiatives have been taken and are being planned to realise the objectives of the policy.

As part of our initiative to promote multilingualism in higher education, the Department of Education supports a number of pilot projects under the South African-Norway Tertiary Education Development programme. The focus of the pilot project is promoting multilingual proficiency for academic staff and students registered in service disciplines such as social work, law, nursing, medicine and other health sciences. Support is also provided for academic tutorials conducted in indigenous languages.

We are aware that these interventions are not enough to address the huge challenges that we face. However, we believe that they make a valuable contribution that higher education institutions can build on and consolidate to ensure that we create an environment where multilingualism will become a reality, not in the residences alone but in the lecture halls as well.

Indeed, the future of South African languages as areas of academic study and research is a matter of pressing concern for all of us. The role of language and access to language skills is critical to enabling individuals to realise their full potential to participate in and contribute to the social, cultural and intellectual life of the South African society.

I hope that by the end of this conference you will be able to make some suggestions as to how we can move faster towards creating and consolidating a multilingual environment in our higher education institutions.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Education
5 October 2006

Namibia:Language policy in schools

An article seen on All Africa.com

The Education Corner

New Era (Windhoek)
NEWS
24 September 2007
Posted to the web 24 September 2007

By Toivo Mvula

The Language Policy was developed to guide Namibian schools on how national languages should be taught in schools, to promote the cultural identity of learners through the use of their mother tongue as a medium of instruction in Grades 1-3 and to ensure that English is taught as the medium of instruction from Grade 4 and upwards.

What does the Language Policy state?

The Language Policy states that schools should teach learners in Grade One to Grade Three in their mother-tongue. Grade Four is to be regarded as a transitional year where schools start to switch from mother tongue as a medium of instruction to English as a medium of instruction.

What does this mean?

This means that, as from Grade Four, the mother-tongue becomes a subject and learners will be taught in English; i.e. other subjects will be taught in English.

Is the policy being fully implemented?

No. Although the policy states that learners should be taught in their mother tongue from Grade 1 to Grade 3, this has not happened and is not being done all over the country. Many schools also do not offer Namibian indigenous languages as subjects from Grade 4 until Grade 12.

Why is a mother tongue important?

Research has shown that being taught in one’s mother tongue at an early age helps you to make sense of what you are being taught in order to help you to conceptualise better and acquire writing and reading skills which are best acquired in the early years of schooling.

Teaching mother tongue in schools also helps to promote the language and cultural identity of learners.

What about English?

English is the official language of Namibia. The Language Policy states that English should be compulsory from Grade One to Grade Twelve.

- From Grade 1 - 3 = as a subject.

- From Grade 4 - 12 = as a subject and as the medium of instruction.

The Policy also states that, ideally, learners should study at least two languages as subjects from Grade 1 to Grade 12 and one of them must be English.

- The Education Column is a column that was created by the Ministry of Education to highlight educational issues that are of concern to its stakeholders (learners, students, parents, teachers, development partners, unions, and the private and public sector). For more information, contact the Public Relations Office at Tel: 061-2933358 or 2933366.

Uganda: Kiswahili now a compulsory subject in school

Seen on AllAfrica.com

Uganda: Kiswahili now a compulsory subject in school

Article from All Africa.com

Can Uganda Ably Make Kiswahili Popular?

New Vision (Kampala)
28 August 2007
Posted to the web 29 August 2007

By Irene Nabusoba
Kampala

THE Government recently endorsed Kiswahili as the national language and a compulsory subject from Primary Four to secondary level, the latter starting with this year’s inaugural Universal Secondary School batch. However, there are only two teachers’ colleges out of the 40 institutions, which can produce Kiswahili teachers. It is only Gaba Primary Teachers’ College (PTC), which has done it for the last three years and Kabale PTC. The other was Kakoba Teachers’ Training College, which was training secondary Kiswahili teachers, but has been converted into a university.

The introduction of Kiswahili is now more imminent with the rejuvenation of the East African Community (EAC). Even Members of Parliament are undergoing urgent training in the language. Aggrey Kibenge, the principal assistant secretary and public relations officer in the Ministry of Education, says the question of an official and national language has been debated for a long time, but ‘the potential of Kiswahili to promote the desired national unity, patriotism and pan-africanism is far greater than that of any other Ugandan language.’

“Learning Kiswahili will promote tourism, communication with other countries and enhance Uganda’s participation in affairs concerning this region,” Kibenge, who is also the ministry’s EAC desk officer, says. Kiswahili is spoken and used by a fairly large proportion of people in Africa. It is also internationally recognised and used for broadcast news and recreation/education by international broadcasting agencies.

What is the origin of Kiswahili anyway?

An internet site, www.glcom.com says Kiswahili is a Bantu-based conglomerate of African languages with some borrowed words from other foreign languages like Arabic. It was introduced by Arabs and Persians who moved to the East African coast, and absorbed vocabulary from the various native languages. For long, Kiswahili remained limited to the people of the East African coast, but spread to the interior of Tanzania and Kenya through trade and migration. It was the colonial administrators who pioneered the effort of standardising the Kiswahili language.

During Amin’s rule, Kiswahili was declared the national language of Uganda, but the declaration has never been seriously observed nor repealed by the successive governments.

How ready are we for Swahili?

The 1992 Government White Paper on the education policy review recommended that Kiswahili be integrated in Uganda’s education system starting from P.5. However, Kibenge says Kiswahili will be gradually introduced in P.4 and shall be examinable in the Primary Leaving Examinations. He says the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) at Kyambogo has been charged with the responsibility to develop the curriculum and other study materials.

Francis Kaleeba, NCDC’s curriculum specialist, says: “A few curriculum materials like the P.4 syllabus, teachers’ guide and learners’ books have been developed, but there is still a lot to be desired. There is a government fund to facilitate schools to buy such books, but there is none for Kiswahili yet. “Besides, we are short of teachers. Kyambogo University is training teachers in batches of 35. The course takes two years and we shall be disseminating our first batch this year. These will help top up the ’scanty’ ones already in the field,” Kaleeba says. He adds: “The plan is to train both pre-service and in-service teachers. Hopefully, with time, at least each teachers’ college will have one Kiswahili instructor.”

With Kyambogo University and the other PTCs producing just about 100 teachers a year, it will take Uganda over a century to train enough Kiswahili teachers to cover the 13,000 primary schools. Kibenge says: “We are still on the drawing board. We must be sure that we have teachers in each school first. We are also considering recruiting specialists from Tanzania and Kenya to assist in training teachers and preparing instructional materials, besides sending batches of teachers to these countries for training. But there is a challenge in remuneration and resettlement which we have to address,” Kibenge says.

He says the sectoral council at the EAC secretariat is considering an East African Kiswahili council so that member states can be assisted to promote the use of the language, although they are asked to promote local and other languages as well. “For starters, we shall introduce Kiswahili as a subject in selected primary schools and progressively extend it to more, according to increased availability of teachers and instructional materials,” Kibenge says.

Way forward

Aggrey Kaggwa, the Director Kampala Institute of Languages at the National Theatre, says: “The Government should launch vigorous public education programmes to popularise and promote Kiswahili; mobilise the support of the Church, other religious bodies and social organisations. Let adult and post-literacy programmes progressively use Kiswahili as the main mode of instruction,” Kaggwa advises. “My major concern is to sensitise the public about the need to embrace Kiswahili. It may be misinterpreted that the Government is imposing it on the people,” he says.

Rev Dr Manuel Muranga, the director Makerere University Institute of Languages, also cautions that Kiswahili should not be ‘imposed’ to the detriment of our local languages. “We still need our identity. Kiswahili should actually be introduced in P.5 as earlier recommended. Let us use the first four years to consolidate mother tongues; English and Kiswahili can then be introduced,” Muranga says. He hails the ministry policy, saying Swahili will especially help promote amity between civilians and security forces, the latter who are already accustomed to the language. Besides, it will enable job mobility in the region.”

http://allafrica.com/stories/200708290171.html