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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) has hailed Government’s new policy requiring student teachers to learn at least three languages saying it must be extended to all people deployed in the public service.
Last month, Government announced that in the next intakes, it would be mandatory for all student teachers to learn at least three languages of their choice from the country’s 16 official languages.
The move is aimed at bringing inclusivity in the education sector and make it easy for teachers to be deployed to any part of the country.
Zimta chief-executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said the learning of different languages makes it easy for teaching and communication.
“It is very disadvantaging for ECD pupils to have a non-first language speaker teaching them. Firstly they won’t be able to explain some concepts. Even for doctors so this must be extended to all professions that deal with social services. It should not stop or start with education it must be extended to all practitioners involved in public service delivery,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said language barriers disrupts effective communication in all sectors.
“The issue of learning three languages should be a must for Zimbabweans.
“If we have 16 official languages and you are proficient in a number of them, it will be easy to communicate,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said the policy would make teachers relevant in areas they are posted to.
“When they go there they can fit in society and they can have meaningful impact in the education of children,” he said.
Progressive Teachers’ Union (PTUZ) president Dr Takavafira Zhou, however said the policy’s implementation was hurried as there is no literature for the 16 languages at colleges.
“In our view, the college has to first train lecturers to become experts in the 16 languages because you will not want to order the teaching of the 16 languages when the lecturers are not prepared and the material is not available,” said Dr Zhou.
“I have not seen a textbook in Tonga, in Shangani, Nambya and several other languages. We should produce the textbooks for training the students or lecturers before implementing the languages policy.”
Dr Zhou said the policy was likely to face serious challenges like the new curriculum.
Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, however, said the languages would be introduced as professional courses and would later be examinable as literature becomes available.
“What we are saying is that these languages must be done as professional courses from the start and then gradually be introduced as real hard courses as literature becomes available.
The University of Zimbabwe, for example, now has a Tonga department, Swahili department and these are things that we say we should do,” he said.
Prof Murwira said there are a number of teachers colleges that are already implementing the languages policy.
He said these include Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Teachers College in Matabeleland South which is teaching Sesotho, Tjikalanga and Venda, United College of Education in Bulawayo which is teaching Chishona, Tjikalanga, Tonga, Nambya and sign language as well as Marymount Teachers College in Manicaland which is already teaching IsiNdebele.
“For example, if you go to JM Mqabuko in Gwanda they are already doing it. They were already doing it even without our pronouncement. They are the ones who really encouraged me that these things are possible,” he said. — @AuxiliaK
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter