[lg policy] Botswana: Bakalanga want Ikalanga taught in schools

[Harold Schiffman]

Bakalanga want Ikalanga taught in schools

Written by EDITOR
Wednesday, 07 October 2009 07:44

MASUNGA: Last Saturday Bakalanga from all walks of life descended on
Domboshaba to celebrate the annual Domboshaba festival of culture and
history. The theme of this year’s festival was: “Language is a human
right” or “Lulimi I fanilo yenthu” in Kalanga. The guest speaker for
this year’s festival Samuel Mpuchane underscored the fact that there
is recognition that the existence of the many cultural communities in
Botswana is an asset and not a problem. Mpuchane however said a
weakness in the policy on culture is that it stops short of stating
how the local languages should be developed. He said the Minister of
Youth, Sports and Culture Gladys Kokorwe has of late attended regional
cultural festivals and spoken at these occasions, encouraging the
preservation and development of local culture even languages. Mpuchane
quoted Kokorwe at length to demonstrate and underscore the level of
dissonance between the aspirational and operational levels of
government policy.


“As we can see there is recognition and agreement with the rest of us
that culture and language are two sides of the same coin. You cannot
develop and promote one without the other. Certainly you cannot just
promote culture and leave language behind,” he stated. He wondered how
the language can be conserved, developed or promoted if not taught in
schools. “They are not taught in schools even at primary level where
educationists will advise the need for mother tongue education. In
this context, the Botswana Government rejected the recommendation of
the 1993 Kedikilwe Commission on the teaching of local languages at
primary schools pleading poverty. And that the teaching of these
languages would be contrary to the National Language Policy.”


Mpuchane asserted that pleading poverty cannot be an excuse since
Botswana is a middle income country which can afford certainly the
teaching of indigenous languages at least at primary school level. He
reminded the audience that Kalanga was taught in schools in the
Bukalanga area before independence long before the current level of
economic development was even a conception. “We our per capita income
coupled with our relatively small population, we can surely afford to
provide our children the most appropriate teaching at their formative
age.


“Our neighbours, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, have all the
indigenous languages there being taught and given equal treatment.
They are taught in schools and used over the public media. This has
helped to increase the level of mutual respect for the various
languages, thereby furthering the cause of national unity of these
countries,” Mpuchane said. He called upon the government to muster the
political will to determine that all the other indigenous languages
shall be taught in schools. He aid when the retired Justice John
Mosojane addressed Domboshaba festival last year, he made the point
that nothing would happen unless the aggrieved did something towards
realising their language rights; that is unless they demand their
rights. The guest speaker noted that there was need to harness all the
professional language and teaching skills available in the area to
focus them on the further development of teaching materials. “I
understand that Mukani Action Campaign has already published 20 books
in Kalanga. This is a very important and critical start. The lack or
shortage of materials must no longer be an excuse.”


He observed that the government often requires essential messages
delivered to the communities around the country. He continued: “What
better and more effective way than to do that in the local languages.
Quite often essential messages do not register with the intended
recipients either because they just switch off since they are being
addressed in a language that is not their own or they genuinely do not
understand.” Meanwhile, the gathering resolved to petition the
Minister of Education, Skills and Development about the teaching of
Ikalanga language in schools. A letter was adopted about the
reintroduction of Kalanga teaching which was discontinued in 1972. By
OARABILE MOSIKARE

http://www.gazettebw.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4080:bakalanga-want-ikalanga-taught-in-schools&catid=19:northcast&Itemid=2
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