Windhoek — DELEGATES from 17 African countries who attended a regional conference on Bilingual Education and on the use of African languages as mediums of instruction have called for the introduction of such languages in all African schools.

The three-day conference ended last Friday in Wind-hoek.

Delegates gathered for three days to review current knowledge on the use of African languages in the education sector in order to identify relevant issues and strategies for the development of bilingual education in African countries.

Most countries in Africa upon their attainment of independence adopted their colonial master's languages and made them their national or official languages. Due to that, most schools teach in foreign languages while at home, children use their mother tongues. When they go to school, their understanding is interrupted as they are expected to code switch, resulting in many of them not being able to follow what the instructors deliver.

In realisation of this, a recent study by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in conjunction with the German Cooperation Agency (GTZ) in 13 African countries found that the use of African languages in education is vital and thus mother tongue instruction should be encouraged.

Deputy Minister of Education Becky Ndjoze Ojo said it was about time such languages were introduced in addition to the official language.

"Research has proven that foreign languages do not work. We cannot study, we cannot think deeply in those languages, why can't we not change it," she stated during a press conference held after the closing ceremony.

In Namibia, mother tongue is used as the medium of instruction during the first four years of formal schooling, with a gradual switch over to English by Grade 5.

Ojo says that the early exit model - from mother tongue to English - should be eliminated to allow children to continue with their mother tongues until the last grade.

"In Namibia, the early exit model, from mother tongue to an official language in Grade 4 is not working. We are proposing that it be a non-exit model. We say, don't exit it at all," she stated, responding to media questions on bilingual education.

The media also wanted to know how bilingual education could be used to fight poverty.

ADEA executive secretary Mamaolou Ndoye, responding to the question said that education for all could only be done with a model that includes everybody.

"Nine out of 10 children go to school, but out of the nine, 40 percent don't finish their primary education. Experience by introducing bilingual education has proven to be effective. If a child has to go to school with the language they don't understand, obviously they are going to fail or repeat. Education for all cannot be done without a model that includes everybody," he replied.

Bilingual oriented education would further be discussed at the next ADEA Biennial Meeting, which will study in greater depth the factors that determine the effectiveness of schools and adult literacy programmes.