To teach or not to teach minority languages
Draft Language Police on Education comes to Parliament this year
Adraft Language Policy on Education with an Implementation Plan will be presented to Cabinet for consideration and eventually to Parliament in the 2021/ 22 financial year. Updating Parliament on government’s position and readiness regarding the teaching of minority languages in schools, Vice President Slumber Tsogwane said government was commited to the use of mother tongue in schools. To prove this, he said there are already teacher aides engaged in areas such as North West, Kgalagadi, Ghanzi, Chobe, and some parts of Central, Kweneng and Southern Districts, where early childhood learners are supported to learn by teacher aides who speak their mother tongue. Tsogwane said the use of mother tongue in schools requires extensive preparations to attain the intended objectives. This includes the development of orthography, producing learning materials, and training of teachers. “Currently, languages which have their orthographies developed are Ikalanga, Afrikaans, Otjiherero, Thimbukushu and Shiyeyi. Orthography of other dominant languages will continue to be developed in due course,” the VP said. Tsogwane added that government is developing a Language Policy on Education to promote quality teaching and learning by ensuring that learners are taught using their mother tongue at the early stages of their Primary Education. As part of the preparatory work on the development of the policy, the Ministry of Basic Education, in collaboration with the Department of African Languages
at the University of Botswana, organised a consultative stakeholder seminar in March 2020 to solicit views on the use of mother tongue in schools. He said the seminar recommended a fact- finding survey to ensure that the introduction of mother tongue in schools would be informed by realities on the ground, appreciating the extensive research work that had been done in the past on the subject matter. A survey was subsequently carried out in regions where languages other than Setswana are dominant. These include; Kgalagadi, Ghanzi, Central, North East, Chobe, Tutume, Ngami and, Kweneng West. Data was collected from Dikgosi, Parent Teacher Association Committee members, school heads, reception class teachers, teacher aides, standard one teachers and learners. Tsogwane said consultations with other stakeholders are ongoing after which the draft policy with an Implementation Plan will be presented to Cabinet for consideration and eventually to Parliament in the 2021/ 22 financial year. Tsogwane said, it is important to note that the formulation of the Language Policy on Education is one of the recommendations of the Revised National Policy on Education ( RNPE: 1994) and The Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan ( ETSSP: 2015), on the use of mother tongue. The VP was answering a question asked by Member of Parliament for Ngami Caterpillar Hikuama. Speaking in an earlier interview, an expert and Project Director Thuli Ntsatsi said the most basic thing for Botswana as a democracy is allowing participation of languages which is an enabler of cooperation and that is the most powerful tool of innovation and self development.