Uganda: Promote Kiswahili as a national language

Wed Apr 2 14:59:58 UTC 2008

Promote Kiswahili as a national language
Tuesday, 1st April, 2008
BY JOHN NSOOKWA

For over 100 years, there has been a lot of rhetoric about the
importance of Kiswahili and the urgent need to teach and use it in
Uganda. The colonial rulers and post-colonial rulers held the same
views during their term in office, but nothing was done thereafter.
The commissions they constituted on education came up with good
recommendations concerning Kiswahili, but all remained on paper.
Attempts by all the subsequent governments to implement the
recommendations concerning Kiswahili since 1903 have proved futile.
Policies and policy guidelines for the implementation of Kiswahili
have been designed over the years, but due to conflicting priorities
and prejudice, all have either remained in writing, or have been
contradicted thereafter.

Specific cases in point are such as follows:

1 Sir William Gowers, the then governor of Uganda in 1903 ordered the
teaching of Kiswahili in schools and its use in public offices. A
Kiswahili teachers college was established at Makerere in 1927, but
nothing was done thereafter and the college closed in 1938.

2 The Phelps Stokes Commission 1924/25 recommended the teaching of
local languages including Kiswahili, but the recommendations were not
implemented.

3 Similar recommendations were made by the De-Bunsen commission, the
Dela — war and the castle commissions, but all remained on paper.

4 The Kajubi Report 1989 recommended the teaching and use of
Kiswahili, as a language that would promote greater unity, cut across
tribal barriers and enhance regional cooperation. But the
recommendations on Kiswahili have since been shattered.

5 The White Paper and the Education Task Force all echoed these
recommendations on the teaching of Kiswahili. Policies and policy
guidelines were formulated as a way of implementing the teaching and
use of Kiswahili in Uganda, but to date, the teaching of Kiswahili in
primary schools has not started.

6 Preliminary arrangements which were made as a way of implementing
the formulated policies also halted without bearing fruits. For
example, the Primary Teachers' College (PTC) Kiswahili syllabus which
was designed in 1996 was partially utilised and abandoned.
Over 10,000 teachers who were trained using the same syllabus by
Teacher Development and Management Systems (TDMS), a project which is
under PIU in the Ministry of Education and Sports were abandoned. The
teachers were trained in 10 core PTCs of phase 1-TV, but were examined
in other subjects except Kiswahili.

7 Communications from the permanent secretary concerning the speedy
implementation of Kiswahili in primary schools, beginning 2007, did
not bear fruit.

8 The primary school Kiswahili syllabus which was launched in 2002 by
the then Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Kiddu Makubuya, was
also abandoned.

9 Kiswahili was promulgated the second official language of Uganda,
but the parliamentary promulgation was not followed by any form of
implementation.

10 Six representatives from Uganda participated in the drafting of the
East African Kiswahili constitution bill. This exercise was intended
to equip participants from East Africa's partner states with the
experience and skills of mobilising nationals towards the East Africa
goals which include a common language, but nothing has been heard
about this after the Nairobi meeting.

11 A diploma programme for training tutors in Kiswahili Diploma in
Teacher Education (DTE) was designed at Kyambogo University in 1999
because of the urgent need of Kiswahili tutors, but was not
implemented until the DTE structure was phased out.

12 The last hammer in the coffin of Kiswahili was hit recently when it
was finally and officially excluded from the primary school
curriculum. Kiswahili was declared optional to whoever had the means
and interest. This is evident on page 52 of the C-TEP manual. A manual
which was used to orient teachers on the primary school programmes
come 2008. The C-TEP manual is a copyright of the Ministry of
Education and Sports, but was funded by USAID
13 Given this background, one can clearly conclude that the intention
to teach Kiswahili in Uganda is, but mere rhetoric.

Excuses
The kind of excuses being used against Kiswahili are neither logical
nor relevant.
(i) Some people argue that there are no Kiswahili books. This is
untrue because there are very many Ugandan writers who have written
books that are relevant to Uganda's environment; they include:
(a) J. C. Nsookwa — Kiswahili Mzizi P4-P7, published by Fountain Publishers.
(b) Namirembe Jennifer — Macmillan Primary Kiswahili P4-P6
(c) MK Primary Kiswahili.
(ii) Others maintain that there are no teachers for Kiswahili. This is
also untrue. There are over 10,000 primary school teachers trained by
TDMS, ADRA and I @mark.com.

Secondary school teachers trained in Uganda are now over 1,500. These
were trained at Kakoba National Teachers' College, Makerere
University, Mbale University and Kyambogo University.

(iii) While others maintain that Kiswahili is a language of thieves, a
language does not steal. It is the people who steal.

There is no evidence to show that in all countries where people steal,
it is Kiswahili language they use. Any language can be used for good
or bad because it is just a mere means of communication
(iv) Yet others say it is an Arab language, but all languages borrow
just as Kiswahili did from many other languages.

Questions
The only fundamental questions to be asked are:
- What is the way forward for Kiswahili?
- Why use so much money in workshops on Kiswahili only to come out
with nothing?
- Why tell Ugandans that Kiswahili is a second official language while
you have never taught it to them?
- Can anybody spread a language in a country without teaching it in
primary schools?

The writer is a Kiswahili
lecturer at the School of
Education, Makerere University

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/619780

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