Govt to set up Kiswahili centres in every district

The government plans to construct Kiswahili training centres across the country, according to First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga.

Speaking to a delegation at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi yesterday, Ms Kadaga announced that the government has a comprehensive plan to implement the teaching programme.

“According to our adopted plan, we aim to establish a Kiswahili training centre in each district. This initiative is expected to commence before the end of this year, following the graduation of the first intake of Kiswahili cadres in September,” she said.

Ms Kadaga also mentioned that the government will support all activities of the Kiswahili secretariat, including trainer support and tours around East Africa and other Kiswahili-speaking communities.

“When I was assigned EAC matters, my first task was to ensure that Uganda accelerated the usage of Kiswahili to integrate well within the community of Kiswahili speakers, considering that a significant number of people in East and Central Africa speak Kiswahili,” she added.

She highlighted that Namibia and South Africa have recently adopted policies to make Kiswahili an official language and are incorporating it into their school curricula.

“Kiswahili is spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide,” Ms Kadaga noted.

Ms Kadaga commended President Museveni for his enthusiastic support of the programme.

“The President is very excited to see his grandchildren learning Kiswahili and attending the retreat. I urge all Kiswahili cadres to promote the language by teaching it to others, starting with their family members,” she said.

Last month, Kiswahili teachers affiliated with Chama Cha Kiswahili Cha Taifa Uganda (Chakitau) protested their exclusion from the ongoing recruitment exercise.

Dr Boaz Mutungi, the deputy president of Chakitau, urged the government to include Kiswahili teachers in the recruitment process.

“This adjustment will ensure our commitment to providing a holistic and inclusive education to our students,” he stated.

Dr Mutungi warned that excluding Kiswahili teachers could hinder the development of the language, which is Uganda’s second national language after English.

Recruitment

According to a May 28 circular by Dr Jane Egau-Okou on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Ms Ketty Lamaro, 598 administrative and teaching staff are expected to be recruited in 46 government-aided secondary schools this year.