Page 79 - Languages Victoria December 2019

Languages Victoria
Children are more active, think more critically and create an entirely different classroom atmosphere when taught in their mother tongue, says Brock-Utne. She experienced this during her school visits in Tanzania and South Africa.
Haussa and Yoruba instead of English
So how do the different countries deal with language diversity at school? That's what DW wanted to find out. In Nigeria, there are over 500 local languages, but teaching mainly takes place in English. A pilot project is currently introducing the most widely-spoken languages Haussa, Yoruba and Igbo into the curriculum in primary schools.
In Senegal French is the module of instruction – a language in which only one-third of the population speaks fluently. Schools have now started introducing bilingual classes in French one other local language. In Mozambique, an approach to open the schools to 23 different languages is planned.
Although it was never colonized, Ethiopia also has problems integrating local languages. The use of only one language, Amharic, has led to quite a bit of resistance, explains Axel Fleisch, a professor of African Studies at the University of Frankfurt. "In such a case, an international language like English is seen as a more neutral option," he adds.
High costs involved
"It would, of course, be better for the children to learn in a language they already know. But the question is, which language is that?" asks Rose Marie Beck, a professor of African Studies at the University of Leipzig. Many of the children grow up in a multilingual environment. Few areas in Africa have just one dominant language. Teachers, she says, must consequently be more flexible and use a mixture of languages to teach the children.
Implementing such changes, however, costs money. Organizations like USAID or the International Organization of La Francophonie have programs which support the development of teaching material and teacher training. But that's not enough for continent-wide change.
Read more: Wiki foundation wants to decolonize the internet with more African contributors
Parents and elites not convinced
A further challenge to the new approach: not everyone supports it. Africa's middle classes and elites support the use of European languages, says Fleisch. And these are the decision-makers.
Volume 23 Number 1 Page 79