Villagers and pupils demand teachers that speak local languages
By Letwin Mubonesi
Parents with their children at Mbembesi Primary School in Insiza, Matabeleland South province in Bulawayo demonstrated over the deployment of teachers who cannot speak local languages such Ndebele, Xhosa, Kalanga, Tonga and Venda.
Parents said they had been complaining about the deployment of teachers who were non-conversant in local languages, particularly Ndebele.
The reason being that it affects the performance of pupils but no action had been taken although their children barely understood what they were being taught by teachers who were not competent in local languages.
Silomuzi Nyoni said, “Our kids complain that they do not understand anything that is being taught as language has become a barrier. The majority of teachers who work in Mbembesi do not understand and speak Ndebele. This has created misunderstanding between teachers and parents. Some students do not understand Ndebele or English because they speak languages such as Xhosa, Kalanga, Tonga and Venda.”
Villagers in Insiza district were singing in protest, telling teachers that they were not happy about their work. They also said language barriers were contributing to the decline in Grade 7 and Ordinary Level pass rates in Matabeleland
Primary and Secondary Education Ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said his ministry was yet to receive a report on the demonstrations.
“As for the demonstrations, we haven’t received a report yet, but what we normally recommend is that students at junior level should not have any problems with whether the teacher speaks local languages or not.
“We only make sure that students from Early Childhood Development up to Grade 3 are the ones who should have a teacher who is from the local area and is able to speak their language. Any student from Grade 3 up to secondary level has to adjust to the situation,” Ndoro said.
In 2020, Matabeleland pressure groups complained that the region continued to experience 0% pass rates at schools, and called for government intervention to ensure that all schools across the country’s 10 provinces are equally and adequately resourced.
Add comment