International Mother Tongue Language Day

Our email this week comes from Annabelle Hardy, our Director of Academics. Thanks, Annabelle!

Last week, we marked International Mother Tongue Language day on February 21st. Meant to promote linguistic and cultural diversity, this day has been recognized by UNESCO since 1999.

Also, last week, the last living speaker of the Yamana language died at the age of 93 in a small community in southern Chile. Cristina Calderon’s death is a huge loss for the Yagan people, but before her death she helped to develop a Yamana/Spanish dictionary which gives some hope for the preservation of this language.

The juxtaposition of this celebration of multilingualism and this loss of a terminal speaker within the same week illustrates the urgent need to take action to preserve local languages and the ensure that the “rush of global development” doesn’t extinguish the language, traditions, and cultures that bring our lives purpose and joy.

According to UNESCO, nearly 40% of the global population does not have access to education in a language they speak and understand. In the US, more than 20% of the school-going children come from homes where English is not spoken, and nearly all those same students attend schools where all classes are conducted in English.

Many countries in sub-Saharan Arica grapple with the challenge of how to balance the value and relevance of local language instruction against the pressure to ensure pupils are fluent in the colonial language of their country, which generally serves as the conduit to secondary and university education as well as professional work opportunities. While some countries have chosen to abandon instruction in local language as part of formal education, it is a pleasure to see Zambia embracing the local language of learners and striving to create a multilingual citizenry.

That said, teaching in local language brings challenges. Many languages are continue to change and evolve, including Cinyanja, which is the language of instruction in lower grades at all our schools. At Impact, we are striving to contribute to the limited body of Cinyanja instructional materials by developing books, literacy lessons, and learning aides all designed to support local language literacy. We are proud of the strong growth of our pupils literacy skills in local language and strive to create multilingual learners!

Choosing to put effort and resources in teaching local language is not just an educational choice, it is a cultural choice that acknowledges the traditions and history of the learners. It is means of helping pupils feel a sense of belonging a school and it sends a message to children and adults in Zambia that local language (and by extension local culture and history) has worth and value.

Shown below are samples of Cinyanja literacy materials from the new Impact Network Cinyanja literacy curriculum:

Despite COVID interruptions in 2021, we saw a 23% increase in the number of Impact Network pupils who can successfully read a story in Cinyanja.