Medium of instruction in schools a hard nut to crack

Dar es Salaam. The issue of language of instruction in learning has continued to spark a heated debate in the ongoing education stakeholder forums that discuss curriculum improvement and the 2014 Education Policy Review.

This was revealed once again yesterday at a meeting organised by the minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, in Dodoma to receive a feedback on curriculum and education policy reforms from religious leaders and private school owners.

Contributing to the meeting that was broadcast live by various media outlets, a former Secretary of the Makweta Commission, Prof Musel Muze, said in their report conducted 30 years ago they suggested the language of instruction be Kiswahili, yet it has not been implemented to date.

“We always come back to discuss this issue which we only needed to revisit the commission’s proposals and implement them. This has been difficult yet we want our students to improve,” he reminded.

He said studies conducted on languages have approved that the most important aspect of learning is having a language that people understand well. “This should not mean that English should not be taught.”

However, the suggestion was opposed by some stakeholders at the meeting including the Bishop of Pentecostal Churches, Jonan Kamuhonga, who said there was a great deal of confusion about language use in the country.

“I will be a little different from other people about the use of Kiswahili for instruction because we are in a globalised world. If we are to be part and parcel of the globe, then we must plan how to go with both languages because Kiswahili is still not widely understood,” he said.

He said there is some confidence in some people that Tanzania is the founder of the Kiswahili language, but they cannot explain the benefits that the language has given us and what we have missed after not using it as a language of instruction.

“We were taught English from third grade by teachers who finished eighth grade and we understood. The problem is that we do not know what we want and why. We have not set teachers as the engine for this endeavour either,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Prof Adolf Mkenda said, in addition to continuing with the process of improving the curriculum, he has seen fit to conduct a policy review to keep pace with the improvements.

Prof Mkenda said he has already formed a team that is specifically tasked with reviewing policies that are different from the team that oversees curriculum improvements.

“We have a policy that some areas have not been implemented. So, I have decided we review it and see if we continue to implement it or not in advance,” he said.

Education Commissioner, Dr Lyabwene Mtahabwa said there has been a great response from Tanzanians on curriculum improvement and so far more than 102,000 stakeholders have come forward to suggest a way forward.

She said the areas in which Tanzanians have commented include recommending the removal of bulk content from time to time and eliminating duplication of content, teaching or lessons and skills depending on the environment.

The other is the existence of student identification streams, all languages should be used together with emphasis on teaching values from the earliest levels.

“Many people have emphasized on the importance of ethics because it is a matter of ethics, noting that many schools now focus on achievement without regard to ethics,” she said.

She also said the language of learning and teaching is a sensitive issue that they are still collecting public opinion.