[lg policy] African countries using African languages in education?

Wed Feb 25 17:20:52 UTC 2015

Hello Steve - that is very likely! Except that SA is beginning in tertiary
- do they have African  LoIs in secondary?

But another interesting case might be with French in Burkino-Faso or Mali.
It won't strictly be secondary, but they may be calling it basic education
up to 14 years of age.

The significant thing with TZ is that it looks like they are dissolving the
Primary Secondary division. If such a radical change of curriculum happens
the new language policy could work. Of course, TZ has the advantage that
Kiswahili is so far institutionalized that people can hardly use English -
in other words, it is the de facto primary language of communication. You
can't get by in TZ without Kiswahili, and TZ researchers who came to Uganda
needed translation into Kiswahili. So Nyerere really did create something
new there.

In Uganda they are trying for universal and free secondary education, and
to modify the curriculum so it is a more natural extension to the changes
in the Primary curriculum. Myself, I think always starting 'bottom up' from
Primary has serious flaws, as the teacher educators don't know what is
going on and don't have the training themselves in local languages, there
is not the language development, changes in initial teacher education lag
behind the school curriculum change (took 6 years in Uganda!) and so the
teachers are left to sink or swim - or flounder at best.

So to me the political will behind beginning with tertiary in SA is also
pretty much unique - with its obvious recent historical background. And
something to be followed with interest by researchers. However, as far as I
know, the issues and difficulties of using non-European based languages in
schools are actually similar to other African countries.

What has happened there is some research into how well students (at
KwaZulu-Natal Uni) can study through their own first language, and this has
led also into interesting research into how to teach reading in a Bantu
language, and whether, due to the agglutinative structure, reading is
actually slightly different from in English. Which is how I linked in from
Uganda, because they don't have good methods there - and it became pretty
obvious that this was because of ignorance at the top of the education
ladder. So you see where I coming from!

Uganda tries to bring Kiswahili in the curriculum, and there are either no
students or no teachers

One of the people in our SIG is Rosemary Wildsmith-Cromarty, and she knows
a lot about what is happening at tertiary - although she has moved on to
another post now.

I guess you are in Botswana - what is your post and personal interest?

Regards

Annette

Secretary of Language in Africa SIG, British Association for Applied
Linguistics (BAAL)

Founding Member / Advisor, Centre for Action and Applied Research for
Development (CAARD) (U) Ltd., Fort-Portal, Kabarole District, Uganda.
www.caard.co.ug

On 25 February 2015 at 13:47, Steve L. Sharra <Steve.Sharra at mopipi.ub.bw>
wrote:

> These are very helpful responses, Annette. Thank you for reaching out to
> your network.
>
>
>
> It looks like once the policy is operational, Tanzania may be the only
> African country using an African language up to tertiary education levels.
> Unless there's a country we haven't heard about yet.
>
>
>
> Thanks again,
>
>
>
> Steve
>
>
>
> ---
>
> Steve Sharra, Ph.D.
>
> University of Botswana
>
> Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education
>
> Faculty of Education
>
>
>
> Office: Building 242A Rm048
>
> Tel: +267-355-5409
>
> Email: steve.sharra at mopipi.ub.bw
>
> Personal blog: http://mlauzi.blogspot.com
>
> TEDxLilongwe talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-otnO33fMhQ
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu [mailto:
> lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu] *On Behalf Of *Annette Islei
> *Sent:* 25 February 2015 15:12
> *To:* Language Policy List
>
> *Subject:* Re: [lg policy] African countries using African languages in
> education?
>
>
>
> A further response from Uganda - see hidden text below
>
>
>
> Annette
>
>
>
> Secretary of Language in Africa SIG, British Association for Applied
> Linguistics (BAAL)
>
> Founding Member / Advisor, Centre for Action and Applied Research for
> Development (CAARD) (U) Ltd., Fort-Portal, Kabarole District, Uganda.
> www.caard.co.ug
>
>
>
>
> On 24 February 2015 at 08:16, Hirome Tembe <tembehirome02 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> Dr. Banda, you are right. The elite have for a long time misled the masses
> and perpetuated the interest of the custodians of the ex-colonial
> languages. Even the native speakers of these languages know what is best
> for their children, and we help them to maintain it.
>
> In Uganda, we follow a multilingual language policy. We promote both the
> local languages, which should be used in teaching from Primary 1 - 4, while
> the ex-colonial language is also taught as a subject. The main concern, is
> that it is not enough to just use the local language only up to that level.
> There is no motivation for the learners to wish to learn more in it. The
> policy as it is, is not really committed to seeing the development of the
> languages, except for a few with ardent advocates who have pushed the
> learning in these languages beyond what the policy states.
>
> Yes, it is a good policy that TZ is pursuing, and they need our support.
>
> Juliet
>
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 1:13 AM, DENNIS BANDA <dennisnk at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Dear all,
>
>  Zambia is now using 7 regional African languages as the languages of
> Instruction from grades 1-4. The only challenge we have is that the 7 are
> based on the zoning done at independence in 1965. There is a feeling
> that more languages must be used other than the 7. There is also a growing
> desire among many people that the selection criterion in colleges and
> universities should no longer be 5 'o ' levels with English but 5
> 'o' levels with a language and language could be English or any of the 7
> Zambian languages. This is what is obtaining in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
> The elite do not seem to favour this but who cares about them anyway?
>
> Dr. Dennis Banda
> School of Education
>  The University of Zambia
> Department of language and Social Sciences
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2015 21:54:05 +0000
> Subject: Re: [lg policy] African countries using African languages in
> education?
> From: annetteislei at gmail.com
> To: adegboyeadeyanju at yahoo.com; joyceanku at yahoo.com;
> margaretansre at gmail.com; margabaleeta at yahoo.com; ngwebin at yahoo.com;
> bayomoto at yahoo.co.uk; dennisnk at hotmail.com; isibebwa at yahoo.co.uk;
> jamesboat76 at yahoo.com; chailemariam at yahoo.com; myrna242000 at yahoo.co.uk;
> evelema at yahoo.com; agnesgath at gmail.com; kintujohn65 at yahoo.co.uk;
> rashioh_koroma at yahoo.co.uk; a.kwapong at gold.ac.uk; nanamosi at hotmail.com;
> constanceforbiz at yahoo.co.uk; mpakaalice at gmail.com; gsitali at unam.na;
> flomutez at yahoo.fr; manuelmuranga at gmail.com; r.i.musa at yahoo.com;
> becky77aweng at yahoo.com; judna2001 at yahoo.com; ngenevoix at yahoo.com;
> n_njobvu at yahoo.com; evantaki at gmail.com; d.nuwagaba at yahoo.com;
> stephenopira at yahoo.co.uk; leila_schroeder at sil.org; ctante2 at yahoo.com;
> Tembehirome02 at gmail.com; temedan at gmail.com; Ootom-lawyer at uclan.ac.uk;
> Orlawyer2004 at yahoo.com; felicianosal at yahoo.com.au; tsaphinah at gmail.com;
> rwabayeho at yahoo.fr; wildsmithr at ukzn.ac.za
>
>
>
> Please see below a question concerning use of African (non ex-colonial)
> languages in schools as languages of instruction in any African countries.
> The cause of the question is the new TZ policy of Kiswahili through to the
> 5th year of secondary education
>
>
>
> Annette
>
>
>
> Secretary of Language in Africa SIG, British Association for Applied
> Linguistics (BAAL)
>
> On 23 February 2015 at 16:18, Steve L. Sharra <Steve.Sharra at mopipi.ub.bw>
> wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
>
>
> With the new language in education policy, will Tanzania be the only
> country in Africa using an African language as a language of instruction? Would
> anybody know if there are other African countries that already use
> African languages for instruction in schools at any level?
>
>
>
> Steve
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
> lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
> To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format:
> https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Juliet Tembe (PhD)
> +256-772-457946
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
> lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
> To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format:
> https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20150225/c8c72050/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list