The use of mother tongues as languages of instruction has become popular in many parts of Africa.
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Bilingual education can improve learning outcomes but it’s important to consider local context.
Tsitsi Dangarembga, the author of Nervous Conditions, a Zimbabwean classic.
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It reads powerfully in the Shona language, and is one of two of her books newly translated into it.
Students at Mtitu Secondary School in Kilolo district, approximately 500 kilometres south-west of Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar-es-Salaam.
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Students’ fears were not unfounded. I recorded many instances of laughter punctuating student responses in class.
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Amid all the stresses of lockdowns, our research found there was some good news: children had the chance to better develop their home language.
Language policy in Canada suggests misunderstanding among government officials and the general public about language use, international language rights and their implications.
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Canada’s population is more diverse than ever, with many different languages represented. Government policy must reflect that diversity and offer meaningful support to minority languages.
Bilingual education could be the key to improving outcomes in Cote d'Ivoire.
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Investing in bilingual education can reduce grade repetition, drop-out rates, and improve literacy outcomes.
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There is something beautiful about African languages carrying science, fictionalised of course, into imagined futures.
Grants were found to help improve the health, including mental health, of women.
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Findings show that income transfer programmes must operate in deliberate coordination with ancillary social service institutions to deliver the maximum benefits for women’s empowerment.
Language policy implementation in education must take greater cognisance of the relationship between education and the economy.
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Researchers have been calling for the extension of mother-tongue instruction beyond the current status quo in South African schools, but parents seem to prefer an even earlier transition to English.
Children make their way to school in Fort Portal, Uganda.
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The fact that teachers in Uganda’s rural schools weren’t trained in the local language means they can’t teach children in their mother tongue and this leads to poor literacy acquisition.
From Indigenous languages to how migrants stay connected, mother languages are becoming the norm.
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On International Mother Language Day, Canadians can celebrate multilingual heritage by recognizing flexible uses of languages.
Uganda’s English language policy isn’t applicable to schools in the the country’s rural areas.
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Uganda’s English language policy is at odds with the situation on the ground in the country’s rural schools.
A majority of South African school children are in the process of learning English by the time they start their schooling.
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South African parents want their children be taught in English despite the fact that research shows that academic progress is hindered if a child is taught in a language they aren’t proficient in.
Many South African children are still in the process of learning English by the time they first start going to school.
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The ability of multilingual children to learn and advance academically from pre-primary has little to do with their English proficiency.
Early education based on a child’s mother tongue gives them a head start in their literacy and language learning.
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Research shows that mother tongue teaching is the most ideal tool for early child education.
Parents and guardians play a vital role in a child’s academic success.
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Children need more than school resources and qualified teachers to attain academic success.