Govt policy on local languages in schools fails in Namutumba

Primary Seven pupils in the eastern Ugandan district of Namutumba cannot read a text in their local language (Lusoga), dealing a blow to a government policy.
 
The new curriculum, which was introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2013, requires pupils in lower classes to be taught in their mother tongues as the first teaching language before taking on English.
 
It was hoped that the policy, which had been piloted and approved by researchers at both local and international levels, would improve on the pupils’ performance, especially in Namutumba, which is one of the districts in Busoga sub-region with high failure rates in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
 
But authorities have realised that there is a low learning outcome in most of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools because teachers did not study the current curriculum which instructs them to teach the learners in their mother tongue.
 
The Namutumba District Inspector of Schools, Mr Ronald Kirya, said the reason pupils are unable to read and comprehend a text in their mother tongue is because teachers lack basic teaching skills and the teacher-to-pupil ratio in lower primary schools is 1:180, which makes learning difficult.
 
“The foundation of our learners is being compromised by low staffing levels in schools,” Mr Kirya said in an interview on Monday.
 
The above concerns follow a report about the learning situation in UPE schools in Namutumba District, which reveals that 50 percent of Primary Seven pupils cannot read or comprehend a text in their mother tongue, while 83.6 percent school-going children cannot do the same.
 
The report, which was carried out in 2021 by Uwezo Uganda in partnership with Nsinze Sub-county HIV/Aids Workers Association (NSHAWA), focusing on literacy and numeracy, shows that learning levels per class in Namutumba District is low.
 
According to the report, while Primary Three pupils, who are supposed to partly be learning in their mother tongue, majority are non-readers of the local language.
 
The report further shows that teachers failed to understand the new curriculum, while the District Inspectorate is not doing enough to monitor what they are doing in their respective classrooms.
 
Teachers, however, say instructing in the local language “is very hard”, while some learners “do not take it serious” when they hear their teachers mentioning words in their mother tongue.
 
Ms Rita Nakirya, a teacher who declined to mention her school for job security, said a number of schools in the district lack textbooks written in the local language.
 
“The (curriculum) books are there, but the government did not send enough copies,” Ms Nakirya said, adding that while Lusoga is taught in most schools in Namutumba District and in Busoga sub-region, it is difficult for a section of non-Basoga learners.
 
She added: “Since teaching in English is much easier than teaching in the local language, let teaching in local language be optional for lower primary and allow teachers to instruct that way as they so wish.”
 
Ms Sarah Namugwano, the Education Officer Special Needs, who is also in-charge of Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) in Namutumba District, however, faults teachers for reportedly not coping with the new curriculum.
 
According to her, some teachers who are supposed to instruct their learners in their mother tongue also do not know it well.
 
“Schools have enough textbooks written in local language, and the curriculums are in schools, but teachers do not know how to use them,” she added, while calling for more refresher training seminars for them, especially those teaching lower primary.
 
She is, however, optimistic that if teachers are given enough training, there will be an improvement in pupils’ performance as far as being able to read and comprehend a text in the local language is concerned.
 
But until that optimism is realised, civil society organisations (CSOs) have partnered with Namutumba District Local Government to improve education by coming out with action points, including organising refresher training for teachers on the new curriculum and advocating for a better learning environment in schools, among others.
 
The Executive Director NSHAWA, Mr Nathan Nkenga, wondered how a qualified teacher can fail to teach in the mother tongue, saying that is enough to show that the poor performance in the district is as a result of such teachers.
 
His concerns are if teachers can fail to teach in their mother tongue, how about in English, and called for tighter supervision and inspection in schools, especially among the teachers who teach the local language.
 
The Principal Secretary in the Office of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Ms Kauma Kagere, said teachers have abandoned their job. 
“The government has played its part, but it is teachers who are not doing what is expected out of them,” she said.