Indigenous African languages in education - why bother?

Dr Selma AshikutiSunday, 21 February 2021 marks International Mother Language Day, and this year, the day is celebrated under the theme, “Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society”. The mother language, often referred to as the first language or native language, is generally defined as the language that one acquires first in childhood and grows up speaking. Typically, such a language/languages is/are expected to be that of one or both parent(s) or guardian(s). Hence, one’s mother tongue is typically expected to be passed on to them by their parent(s) or guardian(s)- intergenerational language transmission. Intergenerational transmission of mother tongues is pivotal, but alone, it can’t preserve indigenous African languages. Although acquired in the home domain, proficiency in a language is further enhanced through its use in other domains such as education, employment, religion etc.Mother tongues, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, face numerous daunting challenges in the 21st century chief amongst which are: 1) limited use in key formal domains such as education and 2) negative language attitudes towards them. Many sub-Saharan African countries, including Namibia, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, have glossy language-in-education policies that stipulate the use of indigenous languages as media of instruction particularly in the early years of schooling. In Namibia, the language policy has set indigenous languages as the media of instruction in the first three years of schooling. However, practically, the enactment of these language-in-education policies results in ex-colonial languages (English, French or Portuguese) taking up the role assigned to indigenous languages. Thus, in many sub-Saharan countries, at surface level, indigenous languages appear to have been assigned space in the formal education domain- even if only at primary school level. However, in practice, such space is often taken up by ex-colonial languages. In this, it appears that ex-colonial languages are usurping upon indigenous languages.It is important, however, to understand that the adoption of ex-colonial languages at primary school level in the place of indigenous languages is underpinned by factors including paucity of indigenous language resources (including teachers), negative language attitudes towards indigenous languages and preference for ex-colonial languages. For instance, in 2019, Rwanda saw a major policy shift in which the mother tongue policy was reversed, and Kinyarwanda was with English as the medium of instruction in the first three years of schooling. In 2014, similar language policy changes were undertaken in Malawi. This is despite empirical evidence indicating that teaching children in languages that they, 1) had barely or not at all encountered prior to commencing schooling and 2) languages that they do not encounter regularly outside the classroom inhibits learning, contributes to high failure rates, high repetition rates, high drop-out rates and increases inequality. Further aggravating the situation is the fact that teachers expected to educate children in ex-colonial languages often lack sufficient linguistic competence in the languages to deliver quality teaching in the languages. The relationship between language use in education and the resultant snowball effect on school performance, school retention and eventually national development is irrefutable. Nonetheless, in sub-Saharan Africa, many children continue to be educated primarily via English, French or Portuguese with grave consequences resulting from failure to master such languages. In fact, in Namibia, failing English alone at any level of schooling holds dire consequences for learners, and it often results in them repeating grades, dropping out of school or being refused entry to further levels of education.Negative attitudes towards indigenous languages in Africa are common among education gatekeepers, parents/guardians and leaners alike. These attitudes commonly manifest in a resistance to be associated with the use of indigenous languages in a particular domain. In the home domain, such resistance is observable in the increasing number of Africans proudly raising their children with ex-colonial languages as their sole “mother tongues” even when the parents’/guardians’ mother tongues are indigenous African languages such as Oshiwambo, Shona or Setswana (lack of intergenerational transmission). However, in other contexts, irrespective of where they may find themselves, it is unimaginable to think of a child of French parents/guardians whose mother tongue is anything but French or including French or a child of Spanish parents/guardians whose mother tongue is anything but Spanish or including Spanish. Equally, as noted earlier, in the education domain, resistance to be associated with indigenous languages is evidenced by growing trends of excluding indigenous languages from classrooms. For example, in the education domain, children are often prevented from speaking their mother tongues on school grounds and are punished in various ways for doing so. Overall, in sub-Saharan Africa if indigenous languages are important, the education ecosystem fails to demonstrate it.What then is the way forward? Closing the door in the face of indigenous languages in the education domain is not and cannot be the solution. Indigenous African languages deserve recognition and respect on the continent because if not here, then where else? It is therefore time to 1) recognise and embrace the value of indigenous African languages especially in education, 2) accord them space, 3) arm them with resources to take up such space and 4) protect and preserve them. Afterall, “If you know all the languages of the world and you don’t know your mother tongue or the language of your culture, that is enslavement. But if you know your mother tongue or the language of your culture, and add all the other languages of the world to it, that is empowerment,” Ngugi wa Thiong'o.· Dr Selma Ashikuti is an English language lecturer at the University of Namibia. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Reading, UK, and an MA TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Stony Brook University, USA.

Indigenous African languages in education - why bother?

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-16

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Indigenous African languages in education - why bother?

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-16

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