Local languages to be used in schools

PHOTO | FILE Pupils of Arap Moi primary school entertaining guests at Ngao girls secondary school in Tana delta district at a past event. Teachers in public primary schools are now required to teach pupils from class four and below in mother tongue, a new policy by the Ministry of Education says.

By  Jeremiah Kiplang'at

What you need to know:

  • It is not clear what mother tongue will be used on pupils attending schools in urban areas where native languages are rarely spoken.
  • In urban areas, the ministry prefers Kiswahili as the language of instruction for lower primary and has asked schools to observe that.
  • The move to prescribe the languages for use comes at a time when street language Sheng is fast becoming a preferred mode of communication among the younger Kenyans.

Teachers in public primary schools are now required to teach pupils from class four and below in mother tongue, a new policy by the Ministry of Education says.

The policy also tasked teachers to ensure pupils master English and Kiswahili to enable them easily converse when out of school.

A sessional paper prepared by the ministry and made public yesterday, says mother tongue should be used for children below eight years.

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“The language of the catchment area (Mother Tongue) shall be used for child care, pre-primary education and in the education of Lower Primary children (0-8 years),” said the Sessional Paper 14 2012.

It is not clear what mother tongue will be used on pupils attending schools in urban areas where native languages are rarely spoken.

SIGN LANGUAGE

Although not clear on whether it is on upper primary only, the policy urges teachers to also ensure national languages— Kiswahili and English—are spoken in schools.

In urban areas, the ministry prefers Kiswahili as the language of instruction for lower primary and has asked schools to observe that.

“It is important that whenever possible learners are not confined in their local areas for the purpose of national integration. For schools located in metropolitan areas, Kiswahili shall be adopted as a language of the catchment area,” the ministry adds.

The move to prescribe the languages for use comes at a time when street language Sheng is fast becoming a preferred mode of communication among the younger Kenyans.

The National and County Education Boards shall encourage the use of the two official languages Kiswahili and English both in and out of school as provided for in the Constitution of Kenya (2010), the ministry says in the Paper.

In a bid to ensure children with special needs are not discriminated against and forced out of school, the ministry has also urged schools to ensure “sign language, Braille or other appropriate means of communication shall also be used in the delivery of education to learners with special needs.”
With the interest of illiterate older people on learning growing, the ministry called for a firmer policy to give them a chance to go back to school.

“The provision of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) throughout Kenya has been constrained because the department of adult education has been located in various ministries since 1966, and has not been adequately funded,” the policy notes.

The government is also keen on promoting cultures through education.

The ministry urged schools to pay attention to the various cultures around schools and disseminate them.

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