ADVANCING LEARNING THROUGH USE OF MOTHER TONGUE IN AFRICA:

Exploring evidence on effectiveness and strategies for deploying Bi-Lingual education in Africa.

By John Klutse

WARNING: This is a long read, but if you can’t read it, you must commit to advocating for the use of indigenous language in schools especially in rural communities. If you still have doubts about why you should advocate for this, then you should read this.?

INTRODUCTION:?

Across the world, over 7,000 languages are spoken, no doubt. A few, very few in fact, have spread across the world and have become international languages. These include English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese among others. These languages are either the official or second languages in countries where they are mostly spoken and have also become the language of instruction in schools. It is not the intent of this article to provide a historical analysis of these languages, but research has shown that these languages originated somewhere, and were developed and popularized by some people before their global spread. One of the Speakers at the August edition of the monthly TEP Webinar (the webinar that inspired this article), Christian Elonge asserted that “any language that is used internationally is not the only language used in the countries supposedly believed to be original natives of that language. English is not the only language spoken in the United Kingdom, French is not the only language in French. It is difficult to develop many languages at the same time, so one language was developed and enforced to be used as the official language [in these countries]”??

9 OUT OF 10 CHILDREN LACK BASIC LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS IN AFRICA?

The ability to read, write, and comprehend simple sentences as well as solve basic arithmetic is a foundational skill required for future learning to take place. Over the years, extensive focus has been placed on literacy and numeracy skills, but in recent times, there has been an increasing advocacy for the inclusion of socio-emotional learning. Available data has however focused more on literacy and numeracy skills in children.?

The learning poverty rate (being unable to read and write at age 10) is as high as 86% in Sub-Saharan Africa, (World Bank End Learning Poverty Report 2022). To see a country-by-country learning poverty rating for African countries as of 2022, check the World Bank’s Learning Poverty Briefs. If 9 out of 10 children in school are not acquiring the foundation skills they need to progress through other learning stages, ‘we face a learning and human capital catastrophe’(UNICEF State of Global Learning Poverty 2022). It becomes more worrisome when we examine the ongoing argument that those who are in school but not learning are more than the number of out-of-school children on the continent.?

In Nigeria, The Education Partnership Centre also carried out a citizen-led assessment through its LearNigeria project. LearNigeria is an acronym for Let’s Engage, Assess and Report Nigeria. Over 49,000 children between ages 5 and 15, from 21,600 households participated in the LearNigeria assessment. The highest level in the assessment corresponds to the learning outcome benchmark for grade 2/ primary 2. This shows learning is not taking place in our schools.?

WHY ARE CHILDREN NOT LEARNING IN AFRICA? – A CLOSE LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION?

The poor learning outcomes in most African countries have been connected to a myriad of causes, including poor teacher quality, lack of learning and instructional materials, poor infrastructure, inadequate funding, and lack of accountability in the education sector among several others. Another critical factor responsible for low learning outcomes is the language barrier between the teacher and the students.

Many researchers have found that the language of instruction is a major cause of poor learning outcomes, especially in rural communities. While some advocate for the use of indigenous language, many have openly condemned the use of local language in the Classroom.? Part of the major reasons cited against the use of local language are the lack of adequate vocabulary to describe some concepts, limited resources,? as well as the multilingual nature of most African nations (Abdullahi, 2016). The low acceptance of the use of indigenous language in schools has resulted in inadequate attention to the training of indigenous teachers, which Sylvia Schmelkes and Daniela Ballesteros, Latin American researchers, think is bad.? See what they have to say in the quote below:

"The poor planning of Indigenous peoples' education, manifested in the neglect of bilingual teacher training ... explains, but does not justify, the serious educational situation in which [these communities (rural communities] find themselves.” Sylvia Schmelkes and Ana Daniela Ballesteros (UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning)

What are the data that support the use of local language in schools? In Africa, only 5-15% of students know the official international language before they start school, (UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning). How will the remaining 95% learn when the teachers speak in Language they don’t understand?? Another Global Education Partnership report also indicated that ‘teaching reading, writing, math and critical thinking in the language that the child speaks and understands is one of the most effective ways to reduce school failures and drop out in early grades’. It has been long known that children learn best in their first language. In contexts where several languages co-exist, bilingual or multilingual education is a strategy recommended by the United Nations to achieve equitable, inclusive, and quality education by 2030.(UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning).?

Furthermore, Professor Eureka Mokibelo during the webinar noted that

?“Indigenous language is critical at the early stage of learning; closes the gap between the home and the school, it is important for conceptualization because children form ideas in their mind and they express these ideas in the language that they are familiar with; it is important for cultural transmission, effective for developing learners’ cognitive abilities, gives learners a voice for expression, and acts as a guide to a second language.”?

Her statement largely re-echoes a 2016 UNICEF study which showed that ‘The impact of language policy and practice on children’s learning, evidence from Eastern and Southern Africa it was reported that “using the mother tongue in the classroom enhances classroom participation, decreases attrition, and increases the likelihood of family and community engagement in the child’s learning. The research also shows that using the mother tongue as the medium of instruction enhances the child’s cognitive learning processes and that learner-centered learning has to be carried out in a language the child speaks in to be effective.”

In Zambia, Luvale, one of the languages was used in the district to teach children. It was reintroduced in the school system for grades 1-4 and evidence shows its effectiveness in boosting learning outcomes. “Since implementing the program, authorities have noticed a significant increase in test scores in literacy and numeracy in the lower grades from the previous two years”? (Global Education Partnership).?

Recent research in South Africa also points out that the use of indigenous language (IsiNdebele) in the classroom results in active participation, interaction, and increased discourse among learners as opposed to when learning in English ‘where learners are passive for more lessons. (Thuli and Awelani, 2024- Journal of Education Science, 14)?

WHY IS THERE LOW ADOPTION OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE FOR INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOL?

In most African countries, the language of instruction in schools is the colonial language. Despite the increasing campaign and data affirming the educational advantages of using indigenous languages, there has been very low adoption.? “Although UNICEF preaches the use of multilingual education, many African countries are comfortable being mono-lingual in our educational system” asserts our second panelist, Prof. Eureka Mokibelo of the University of Botswana.

One of the many arguments against the use of indigenous languages in Africa is that most African countries are multilingual nations, and so, we believe that sticking solely to international languages for instruction is the best. Christian Elonge in commenting on the controversy around the use of one indigenous language in a multilingual nation had this to say:?

“I strongly believe that the controversy around promoting the use of just one language in a country is a result of selfishness. People just think that this is my language and they don’t think about common interests; or what we are missing because we choose to use only one colonial language that our people do not feel connected to. When you communicate with someone in their language, you will touch his/her heart because mother-tongue is connected to our soul.”

Well, almost every country on earth is multilingual. Let’s take a look at the image below and tell me if you are shocked to see the United States of America listed among the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. I was actually! America has 328 Languages, 19 languages more than China in fact, and still uses English and Mandarin respectively, which are Indigenous languages for instruction.?

We went a step further to investigate the language of instruction in all the countries listed on the image below, with another table showing the language of instruction in developed countries in addition to researching to find out if there are African countries that use indigenous languages for instruction. See Tables 1, 2, and 3 below.?

What we have found out is that being a multilingual nation does not mean the use of indigenous languages would be ineffective. As you can see in the tables below, many countries still choose an indigenous language, develop it, and use it as their language of instruction.?

SO WHAT ARE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE EDUCATION EXPERTS ADVOCATING FOR AND HOW CAN THESE BE ACHIEVED??

In the following paragraphs, this article will be making an extensive reference, including quotations from submissions of our panelists, Christian Elonge and Prof. Eureka Mokibelo at our August edition of the TEP Webinar.?

“The goal is not to eradicate existing colonial languages from our educational system in Africa. But to change our mindset about our mother-tongue language. To see them as our identity and as being important to us. We must see ourselves in our mother tongue and not be ashamed to use it when it can make a lot of difference, especially in education” Professor Eureka Mokibelo.?

“Colonial languages have become part of our culture in Africa and we should not envisage doing without it now. But if you teach or communicate to a child in his or her mother tongue, you are not just speaking to his head. You will touch his heart because mother tongue is connected to our soul.” Christian Elonge

1. MOTIVATE AFRICANS TO SEE THE VALUE IN THE USE OF INDIGENUOUS LANGUAGE. Christian Elonge believes that one of the reasons parents or Africans generally are not so proud of the use of indigenous language in school is because they do not see the immediate and future advantages associated with it. He recommended a few ways Africans can be encouraged into agreeing or supporting plans to introduce Indigenous languages in schools.
2. Connect the benefits associated with colonial languages to African languages. These include economic advantages, privileges, and opportunities, in our local language. He referenced that in China, no one teaches you to learn Chinese because it is the language for transacting business. “If we are not able to increase the economic value or the perception of the economic value of our African languages, it will be difficult to get our people to learn it at the level of the school curriculum” he insists.
3. Enforce existing language policies in the country or establish one where there is none. The language policy needs to show the people the relevance of the local language by conferring the status that English provides to other indigenous languages too to the local language.?
4. Include stakeholders to promote indigenous language usage in schools. Include private organizations, civil society agents, and community stakeholders to advocate and find creative ways to encourage people to use, value, and see the relevance of our local language. Africans need to rebrand our languages effectively project them and encourage them to be used in public spaces and events.
5. Show performance data on the results associated with using local language in schools. Governments or promoters of the use of indigenous language must show people proof that the use of local language can be a game changer. Compare the literacy rate of children taught in the local language and children taught in the colonial language, using the same concepts and showing results. The cognitive skills of children taught in different languages should also be assessed using standardized testing methods and the results should be showcased.

2. REGIONALISE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTIONS IN MULTILINGUAL COUNTRIES?

Although Christian Elonge strongly believes that one local language can be developed and enforced as a national language, he still acknowledges the language diversity that exists in most African countries. To fix this and to ensure that learning takes place, it is highly recommended that regional languages should be used for instruction in schools at the early stage of learning. In the case of Nigeria, this would mean, using Yoruba to teach in South-Western Nigeria; Using Igbo for South-Eastern Nigeria, and Hausa for Northerners. At this stage, children can learn English as a subject and then progress to the use of English at upper levels of education and other levels of education. If this is done, especially in rural areas, there is a higher chance that the learning outcomes would be improved, with children learning essential foundational skills to build on as they progress through learning.?

3. TRAIN TEACHERS TO GIVE INSTRUCTIONS IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES?

Professor Eureka Mokibelo believes that there are not enough teachers who can give instruction in Indigenous languages. She emphasized learning does not take place because teachers do not speak the language of the children and stresses that there is an urgent need to rethink teacher training towards ensuring that they can also teach using indigenous language for early years learners. This is also what Syvial Schmelkes and Ana Daniella have to say: "The poor planning of Indigenous peoples' education, manifested in the neglect of bilingual teacher training ... explains, but does not justify, the serious educational situation in which [these communities (rural communities] find themselves.” Sylvia Schmelkes and Ana Daniela Ballesteros (UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning)

4. INTRODUCE BI-LINGUAL PROGRAMMES THAT PROVIDE A RICH LINGUISTIC ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE MOTHER TONGUE IS SPOKEN NATURALLY AND CONSISTENTLY.? Professor Eureka Mokibelo also recommends that children are taught in two different languages, not necessarily learning another language as a second language. For this to happen, teachers have to be fluent in both languages, including the indigenous and colonial languages.? For more information on Bilingual Program models, click here.

5. ?INTRODUCE FUN ACTIVITIES AND GAMING INTO THE TEACHING OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES

In addition, Professor Eureka Mokibelo believes learning through participation can make a lot of impact. Strategies such as the use of rhymes, songs, games, videos, audio, storytelling, or any other interactive activity that can help students grasp the ideas in the class should introduced in the teaching and learning in local languages. Students should be allowed to practice language skills in a fun and interactive way.?DEPLOY INNOVATIVE DIGITAL TOOLS TO IMPROVE LEARNING OUTCOMES.?

In this 21st century, technology can be used to achieve many things including learning in indigenous languages and promoting learning outcomes. Different online collaboration tools, the creation of digital libraries or repositories of resources in the mother tongue should be encouraged.

6. CREATION OF MORE MATERIALS IN THE MOTHER TONGUE FOR EARLY GRADERS

There is always the argument about the availability of learning resources in your mother tongue. Researchers, and curriculum developers as well as publishers need to be involved in creating more materials that are published in local languages. This will encourage more people to read and write in the indigenous language.?

7. ESTABLISH AND ENFORCE LANGUAGE POLICIES FOR EDUCATION.?

Many African countries have language policies and have very weak enforcement and implementation. The language policies should address the controversies around language use, specify which language is used at each level of education, and deploy resources, including funding to ensure its enforcement. Reward and punishment systems should be put in place to boost compliance with this kind of policy.?

8. ALWAYS COLLECT FEEDBACK?

The government or the Ministries of Education should put mechanisms in place to regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the use of indigenous languages. There has to be a consistent and agile way to collect feedback.?

9. FUND RESEARCH THAT INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE?

Researchers should show more interest in undertaking studies to validate and invalidate existing data on the use of the mother tongue in the education system as well as discover newer facts about indigenous languages.?

CONCLUSION

Regardless of what we think as Africans about the use of mother tongues in classrooms, the consequences of not using them have more severe consequences. Studies have shown that using indigenous language to teach early graders can make a significant impact on the ability of learners to grasp concepts and develop necessary foundational skills. As our panelists noted, the goal is not to eradicate colonial languages, but just to make sure that we appreciate what is our own as Africans and appreciate the advantages associated with it, especially for the education of children. I do not expect everyone who reads this article to agree, but I have provided data, with links, embellished with expert opinions, bring your arguments forward in the comment section.?

APPENDIX?

Table 1:? 10 Linguistically diverse countries in the world

Table 2: Developed countries of the world that use Indigenous languages as their languages of instruction:?

Table 3: