UGANDA HAS ENOUGH KISWAHILI TEACHERS- PARLIAMENTARY FORUM ON GENDER AND CULTURE BE INFROMED

UGANDAN HAS ENOUGH KISWAHILI TEACHERS- PARLIAMENTARY FORUM ON GENDER AND CULTURE BE INFROMED

For over 100 years, there has been a lot of rhetoric about the importance of Kiswahili and the urgent need to teach and use it in Uganda. The colonial rulers and post-colonial rulers held the same views during their term in office, but nothing was done thereafter, says Prof Nsookwa.

The commissions they constituted on Education came up with good recommendations concerning Kiswahili, but all remained on paper. Attempts by all the subsequent governments to implement the recommendations concerning Kiswahili since 1903 have proved futile.

Policies and policy guidelines for the implementation of Kiswahili have been designed over the years, but due to conflicting priorities and prejudice, all have either remained in writing, or have been contradicted thereafter.

EXCUSES GIVEN BY PEOPLE SOMETIMES WHICH ARE BASELESS

The kind of excuses being used against Kiswahili are neither logical nor relevant.

1. Some people argue that there are no Kiswahili books. This is untrue because there are very many Ugandan writers who have written books that are even being used in lower and upper secondary, they include:
2. Mr Agume Innocent, Dr Caroline Asimwe na Dr Innocent Yerindabo who wote Msingi wa umilisi Kitabu book one up to book 4 published by fountain publishers.
3. Dr Masereka Levi Kahaika na Mr Micah Bamugyeya who wote Kiswahili Murua published by vision publishers.
4. Mr Tukamuheebwa Acleo who published with Barook publishers.
5. Mr Vicent Muhereza who wrote Baraka za mama Published by Moran Publishers.
6. J. C. Nsookwa Kiswahili Mzizi P4-P7, published by Fountain Publishers.
7. Namirembe Jennifer Macmillan Primary Kiswahili P4-P6 MK Primary Kiswahili
8. Other writers are Johnpaul Arigumaho (Hadithi za Burudani), Simon Kawaida (Maisha ni Safari), Muhindo Augustin Bin Mali (Asali ya Siki), Dr Aidah Mutenyo (Mwanga), Dr Martin Mlei (Kiswahili book one up to book 4) and many others

• Recently on 24th April 2024, a section of parliamentary Forum on Gender and Culture concerned made false allegations that Uganda would have adopted Kiswahili but because it has scarcity of teachers. This allegation isn’t true and clear information was availed to the ministry of Gender Labour and Social development by CHAKITAU-UG recently.  

Secondary school teachers trained in Uganda are now over 50000. These were trained at Bishop Stuart University, Makerere University, IUIU-Mbale, KIU, UNIK, MMU, UPU, NTC-Kabale, Kabale University, Kyambogo University and many other universities that are teaching Kiswahili in Uganda.

• While others maintain that Kiswahili is a language of thieves, a language does not steal. It is the people who steal. There is no evidence to show that in all countries where people steal, it is Kiswahili language they use. Any language can be used for good or bad because it is just a mere means of communication
• Yet others say it is an Arab language, but all languages borrow just as Kiswahili did from many other languages.

MANY QUESTIONS

1. The only fundamental questions to be asked are:
2. What is the way forward for Kiswahili?
3. If teachers are scarce, have you employed the current unemployed ones?
4. Why use so much money in workshops on Kiswahili only to come out with nothing?
5. Why tell Ugandans that Kiswahili is a second official language while you have never taught it to them?
6. Can anybody spread a language in a country without teaching it in primary schools?

There is an old East African joke that Kiswahili was born in Zanzibar, grew up in mainland Tanzania, fell sick in Kenya, died in Uganda and was buried in Democratic Republic of Congo

On May 11, 2022, Charles Nuwagaba, professor of economics at Makerere University said, the joke’s origin is unknown, but whoever came up with it chose to kill Kiswahili, the language of the Swahili people, in Uganda because it’s the only one of the countries mentioned where Africa’s most spoken language isn’t a lingua franca. That’s changing, amid a national push to embrace it. “We need it for Uganda to be on equal footing with our sister states,”

After years of trying to incorporate Kiswahili into the school curriculum, Uganda has finally decided to make it mandatory. Lack of government commitment, a shortage of teachers and materials, and opposition from sections of the public have in the past hindered the introduction of the language into classrooms. But now the government is more committed, and opposition is waning. we are advocating for the start of Kiswahili in primary schools and examined at Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).

Also, as Johnpaul Arigumaho and Simon Kawaida Swahili scholars in Uganda wrote proposals to different universities and degree awarding institutions to start teaching and mainstream Kiswahili in other courses, this we hope that will bring Uganda to the level of fitting in East African community as a member state since its the language approved by the community. This move should be supported by government through the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) together with National Council for Higher Education to enhance the development of Kiswahili language in Uganda.

WHY SHOULD KISWAHILI BE EMBRACED IN UGANDA

1. With foreign companies now engaging in more business dealings in African countries, and the continent set to see continued growth, some of these African languages may go on to become power languages – languages with the potential to wield real and considerable influence. Swahili is a key language.

• Swahili is spoken by over 100m people in Africa so it’s pretty hard to ignore a language that’s spoken by so many people. Its importance as a lingua franca is recognized by foreign media organizations such as the BBC, which broadcasts radio programs in Swahili. Radio Nyumbani in Kamwenge district, UBC tv, Voice of America and Deutsche Welle (DW) have adopted similar tactics in their attempts to appeal to readers on the continent.

• If you’re dealing with East Africa in any way, then it’s essential you take notice of the Swahili language.

• Swahili is a Bantu language and therefore spoken by many communities that inhabit the Great Lakes region and other areas of southeast Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique. It’s particularly useful to have knowledge of Swahili if doing business in Kenya. The country is the largest economy in East and Central Africa and has seen massive growth in areas such as telecommunications in the last decade.

• Swahili is the national or official language of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as being one of the official languages of the East African Community and African Union. It is a language of influence politically, economically and socially, and a knowledge of it can deepen business relationships. UNESCO has empowered it by scheduling 7th July as the international Kiswahili day. This shows how the language has gained momentum. We need to have it.

• Swahili plays an important part in education in several African countries. Uganda made Swahili a required subject in primary schools in 1992 and its now compulsory in lower secondary as directed by Uganda National Curriculum Development Centre early 2019. It is also a compulsory subject in Kenyan schools and a distinct academic discipline in many public and private universities. With the next generation of leaders, as well as consumers all speaking Swahili, ignoring it would be short sighted.

• Inter-African trade at this point in time is low. Poor transport connections and infrastructure have thus far capped business movements between African countries. However, as investment is made in improving logistics, trading languages will emerge to aid communication between different peoples. Swahili is well placed to become such a tool.

• Swahili will become a language associated with IT and technology and, as a result, arts and culture. As investment continues in IT infrastructure and mobile and online solutions in countries such as Kenya, the economy will grow. When an economy grows so do people’s spending power, their exposure to information and their inventiveness and creativity. The result will be a flourishing tech-culture scene expressed through Swahili. “Swahili hood” is a term already starting to make appearances online.

• Knowledge of Swahili will enhance the credibility of researchers interested in Africa. Areas such as big data, social media and digital information are growing and to gain critical insight into Africa’s evolving markets, having an understanding of Swahili will be very important.

1. The problem of multiplicity of languages in Uganda. The diglossic situations which perpetuate the supremacy of the language of colonisers at the expense of indigenous African languages; the neo-colonial elites who promote languages like English, French and Portuguese as languages that buttress their power. Getting Swahili as a national language would erase tribalistic tendencies in the country. Ignoring Swahili is being shortsighted.

Specific cases Dr Nsookwa noted when he was consulted by media.

1. Sir William Gowers, the then governor of Uganda in 1903 ordered the teaching of Kiswahili in schools and its use in public offices. A Kiswahili teachers’ college was established at Makerere in 1927, but nothing was done thereafter and the college closed in 1938.

• The Phelps Stokes Commission 1924/25 recommended the teaching of local languages including Kiswahili, but the recommendations were not implemented.

• Similar recommendations were made by the De-Bunsen commission, the Dela war and the castle commissions, but all remained on paper.

• The Kajubi Report 1989 recommended the teaching and use of Kiswahili, as a language that would promote greater unity, cut across tribal barriers and enhance regional cooperation. But the recommendations on Kiswahili have since been shattered.

• The White Paper and the Education Task Force all echoed these recommendations on the teaching of Kiswahili. Policies and policy guidelines were formulated as a way of implementing the teaching and use of Kiswahili in Uganda, but to date, the teaching of Kiswahili in primary schools has not started.

• Preliminary arrangements which were made as a way of implementing the formulated policies also halted without bearing fruits. For example, the Primary Teachers College (PTC) Kiswahili syllabus which was designed in 1996 was partially utilised and abandoned. Over 10,000 teachers who were trained using the same syllabus by Teacher Development and Management Systems (TDMS), a project which is under PIU in the Ministry of Education and Sports were abandoned. The teachers were trained in 10 core PTCs of phase 1-TV, but were examined in other subjects except Kiswahili. So, what was the role of teaching it?

• Communications from the permanent secretary concerning the speedy implementation of Kiswahili in primary schools, beginning 2007, did not bear fruit.

• The primary school Kiswahili syllabus which was launched in 2002 by the then Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Kiddu Makubuya, was also abandoned.

• Kiswahili was promulgated the second official language of Uganda, but the parliamentary promulgation was not followed by any form of implementation.

1. Six representatives from Uganda participated in the drafting of the East African Kiswahili constitution bill. This exercise was intended to equip participants from East African partner states with the experience and skills of mobilising nationals towards the East Africa goals which include a common language, but nothing has been heard about this after the Nairobi meeting.

1. A diploma programme for training tutors in Kiswahili Diploma in Teacher Education (DTE) was designed at Kyambogo University in 1999 because of the urgent need of Kiswahili tutors, but was not implemented until the DTE structure was phased out.

1. A manual which was used to orient teachers on the primary school programmes in the year 2008. The C-TEP manual is a copyright of the Ministry of Education and Sports, but was funded by USAID.

13. Given this background, one can clearly conclude that the intention to teach Kiswahili in Uganda is, but mere rhetoric.

“We want every Ugandan schoolchild to have a working knowledge of Kiswahili,” says Angella Kyagaba, a senior curriculum specialist at the government-run National Curriculum Development Centre. Yes, we definitely want it, what should be done? My opinion on her statement is not to oppose or disregard her information but it has been in words and written policies but not implemented. The government should come up and implement the policies they set. This tendency of speaking and writing policies without being implemented in Uganda should stop and we start acting.

Uganda is a member of the East African Community, a regional intergovernmental organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tanzania. In 2016, the East African Legislative Assembly, the group’s legislative arm, passed a resolution urging the organization to amend its treaty “to provide for Kiswahili as one of the official languages of the community.” Its members also include Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and DRC which recently was welcomed officially. In 2017, the organization’s Council of Ministers directed all member states to come up with national language policies to institutionalize Kiswahili as one of the official languages of the East African Community.

I think this should be started right away from primary levels of education. this tendency of everything comes step by step is ok, but relaxing on essential issues is a result of such ideology. How come the language which is recognized as 2nd official language is not even taught and assessed in lower levels of education where young people have quicker conception.

More than 200 million people worldwide speak Kiswahili. It’s already a national and official language in Kenya and Tanzania, which along with Uganda are founding members of the regional organization, and one of four national languages in DRC, which joined in March and signed the group’s treaty in April. In Kenya, the language is mandatory for the first 12 years of formal schooling. In Tanzania, it’s the language of instruction in primary school

In the past, many Ugandans, especially those who grew up in the ’60s and ’70s, strongly opposed Kiswahili because they associated the language with death and destruction. To some, it was a language of thieves. The negative sentiments originated in Uganda’s long history of coups and civil wars, which led to egregious human rights abuses. Some of the worst atrocities happened between 1971 and 1979, during the regime of Gen. Idi Amin, whose dictatorship might have killed as many as 300,000 Ugandans, according to Amnesty International, a United Kingdom-based human rights organization. While unleashing terror on civilians, soldiers communicated in Kiswahili. Amin himself was a speaker and a supporter of the language, famously saying that he wanted to introduce it to African Americans “to brainwash them from British colonials.”

Jocelyn Bananuka Ekochu, whose father was killed by Amin’s forces in 1972, says soldiers and police used Kiswahili as a status symbol that made them feel more powerful. “That is what tainted the language in the minds of Ugandans,” she says. “But it should be taught in schools to make it easy for us to communicate with our neighbors.”

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The kingdom of Buganda, a monarchy within Uganda that is the home of Luganda, the country’s largest native language, has long opposed mainstreaming Kiswahili. In 2017, Noah Kiyimba, the kingdom’s spokesman, said Uganda didn’t need Kiswahili because most of the country already speaks Luganda. Now he says the kingdom is not against teaching Kiswahili in schools, though he still insists Luganda should be equally important. “Everywhere you go, you can find your way if you are using Luganda, so it should also be made an official language,” Kiyimba says.

President Yoweri Museveni is also doing his part by trying to convince Ugandans that Kiswahili is an important language. While giving a speech on African Integration Day on June 4, 2021, Museveni urged Africans to use Kiswahili as a way of unifying the continent. He described it as a “neutral language that belongs to nobody.”

Outside Uganda, Kiswahili is embraced as a language of unity. In November, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, designated July 7 as World Kiswahili Language Day.

July 7, 1954 is the day Tanganyika African National Union, a political party under the leadership of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, declared that Kiswahili was an important tool in the fight for independence in what is now mainland Tanzania. Dr Asiimwe Caroline, the then a lecturer at Makerere University’s School of Languages, Literature and Communication, (currently the Secretary General East African Kiswahili Commission) said “the UNESCO recognition will help efforts to promote Kiswahili in Uganda. “This is going to improve our awareness campaign,” says Asiimwe, who has a doctorate in Kiswahili from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and like many Ugandans goes by her family name first.

Kiswahili is gaining momentum in colleges and universities, says Gilbert Gumoshabe, the head of the Department for African Languages at Makerere University, where he says more than 500 students are studying the language.

“Students are realizing that diversification of skills, including acquiring new languages, improves their chances of employment,” he says.

There’s also growing interest in Kiswahili among young people outside the classroom. Faima Ibrahim and Justus Ochieng sit in front of computers, microphones and a control board in a cool soundproof room. Their ears are covered with headphones as they gesticulate wildly. They clearly enjoy what they do. Ibrahim and Ochieng are university students from Tanzania and Kenya, respectively. They are co-hosts of “Changamka na Vijana” (“Cheer with the Youth”), a Kiswahili program that airs every weekday on MCI Radio in Kampala.

Ibrahim, 23, says they are trying to get their Ugandan peers interested in learning Kiswahili. The best argument they have, she says, is that speaking Kiswahili has given them employment away from their home countries.

“Our age group knows that the creation of the East African Community is rapidly erasing the borders between our countries,” Ibrahim says. “We are going to be united by Kiswahili as the dominant medium of communication.

@Johnpaul Arigumaho- Mwalimu wa Kiswahili Nchini Uganda