The Sunday News
Sunday News Reporters
The Zimbabwe Indigenous Languages Promotion Association (Zilpa) has waded into the emotive debate over teaching of indigenous languages in primary schools saying the matter was taking a wrong direction by concentrating on Ndebele only at the expense of many other languages that have been ignored over the past years.
Zilpa chairperson Mrs Maretha Dube said the matter was much broader than was envisaged as it was not about Ndebele or Shona but one would find a Kalanga speaking teacher expected to teach in Binga where there are Tonga speaking pupils.
Mrs Dube noted that it was shocking that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) continued to ignore the matter while the Nziramasanga Commission had as far back as 1999 made it clear, as one of their recommendations that children in Grade One to Three had to be taught in their indigenous languages, if the country was to improve its education system.
“I believe the only solution to this problem is that traditional leaders and associations that deal with such languages should be consulted because they are on the ground. Actually I am of the view that some of these things the CSC is doing on purpose because it is not like they don’t know – they know as they handle the applications of these teachers.
“I will tell you that in some cases they actually deploy a Sotho speaking teacher to Binga and all things being fair that teacher is useless in that area, why not just deploy them in Gwanda where their services are required,” said the Zilpa chairperson.
She said in the few areas where Government had moved in to promote indigenous languages they had recorded an improvement in the pass rates but surprisingly the Government was moving at a slow pace in terms of implementing the exercise despite this positive move.
“By now I guess we should appreciate the importance of a child learning in their mother tongue and further learning their mother tongue, it becomes worrisome when a child is taught in a foreign language their own language. Honestly how would that work, it is a clear sign that we would be violating a child’s rights.
“Even the holy book, the Bible, on Esther 1 verse 21 and 22, clearly states that people should be taught or communicated with in their mother tongue for them to best understand what’s being taught therefore who are we to go against the Bible,” said Mrs Dube.
Esther 1 verse 21 and 22 reads; “The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memukan proposed. He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household, using his native tongue.”
Mr Tshidzanani Malaba, who is the executive secretary of the Kalanga Language and Cultural Development Association, echoed Mrs Dube’s sentiments saying at one point the Government had come up with what was termed language co-ordinators, who were meant to go school by school ensuring that indigenous languages were taught in the right manner.
“We wonder why these language co-ordinators were stopped because I believe we were moving in the right direction. When you look at it this was clearly a deliberate move to ensure that indigenous languages were stifled.
“I am, however, worried that all this noise being made with regards to this matter will also just fade away without any progress being made. Take, for example, right now we have more than enough Kalanga speaking teachers in the country but for some reason they are not deployed in the Kalanga speaking communities,” said Mr Malaba.
In the Nziramasanga Commission report, chapter five makes special mention of the language policy where it was noted that the Education Act in the school system remained confused and half-hearted in respect of both the national and so-called minority languages.
“The panel has observed that Shona and Ndebele are not really used as the media of instruction in any primary school, it is further noted that there is confusion as there are no uniform requirements for timetabling Shona or Ndebele or the use of these languages as media of instruction.
“The mother language should be the medium of instruction from Grade One and a second language be added as the local community may decide, in multi-cultural and multi-lingual schools, provision should be made that the two most commonly spoken languages by the children be used,” reads part of the report.
Commenting on the matter Matabeleland North provincial education director, Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni, said in her province the issue was worsened by the fact that they did not have any teacher training college thus at the end of the day the CSC “dumped” any other teacher from other regions. She said there was very little they could do but try and change these teachers’ attitudes for them to appreciate the local languages.
“It is really bad because Matabeleland North has now been considered as the dumping ground for any teacher looking for employment in the country. Therefore, you find in some cases the whole school being dominated by teachers who cannot even speak in the local language.
“This situation completely cripples our education system because how can someone in their formative stage of learning be taught by someone who does not even understand their mother tongue, it is gross injustice to the child,” said Mrs Mnguni.
Senator Chief Masendu also weighed in on the matter saying the time had come for the CSC to take the issue of languages seriously as it had been topical for a long time and was constantly being overlooked.
“Here in Masendu and Plumtree as a whole this problem has been there for quite a long time and it becomes unfair to the school child because at the end of the day we are teaching the pupils to fail.
“It is unfortunate that when we try to influence or question the appointment of teachers that know the local language we are told that the Government has no such provision hence we are shut out, which becomes uncouth as it is our pupils who suffer the most,” said Chief Masendu.
Deputy president of the chiefs’ council, Chief Mtshana Khumalo noted that while it was impossible for chiefs to have a say in teacher recruitment and deployment they were now working with School Development Committees to monitor and fight this anomaly.
“Yes this issue is wrong especially for our primary school going children. I believe the only way as chiefs we can have an influence is to use SDCs, as they have local people under our jurisdiction. We can put pressure on these schools and education officials to address this anomaly as a matter of urgency,” said Chief Mtshana Khumalo.
The issue of non-Ndebele speaking teachers has been brought up at a number of fora, the latest being a workshop on indigenous languages and non-fiction writing organised by the Zimbabwe Academic and Non-fiction Authors Association in Bulawayo, where deputy provincial education director Mr Richard Swene blasted the Civil Service Commission for employing non-Ndebele speaking primary school teachers.
Last weekend, the Senior Minister of State, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, revealed that he had spoken to Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Cde Lazarus Dokora, on the engagement of non-Ndebele speaking teachers in the region.
Cde Khaya Moyo was at pains to explain that it was not about tribalism, but having teachers — especially at primary school level — who speak the local language, whatever it is.
Educationists and analysts have accused the Government of letting down the education sector by creating a handicap that could easily be avoided.
Previously the Lancaster House constitution used to recognise only English, Shona and Ndebele, as the official languages but in the new constitution Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoi-san, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, Sign Language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda and Xhosa have been recognised as official languages in the country.
