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Articles on Mother tongues

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It’s not enough for textbooks just to be present in a classroom. They must support learning. Global Partnership for Education/Flickr

Accessible, engaging textbooks could improve children’s learning

Textbooks in sufficient quantities are effective in improving the quality of education but in Africa language poses a problem to how pupils interact with the material they are taught.
Children at school in Mali, which is among the countries that’s prioritised mother tongue education. United Nations Photo/Flickr

Lessons from Africa prove the incredible value of mother tongue learning

Over the years, our understanding of how language and learning are linked has shifted and changed. There is ample evidence about the value of mother-tongue-based multilingual education.
Proper note construction helps students identify the gaps in their understanding. Shutterstock

Better note-taking can help students who struggle with English

Learning is an independent activity at university. Students who don’t speak English as a mother tongue struggle to decode the content, let alone make sense of it.
One South African school issues ‘demerits’ if their pupils speak anything but English. David Ritchie/Cape Argus

How schools use language as a way to exclude children

Schools and universities in post-colonial contexts still operate within the logic of coloniality. This is starkly illustrated by their language policies.

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