Questioning an Educational Investment: Learning to Read in Mother Tongue or English?

• In Event: Literacy, language, politics and money: impacts on scaling up reading reform programs

Proposal

In Ethiopia, mother tongue instruction has been in practice for over two decades. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has prioritized MT teacher training; promoted the use of mother-tongue (MT) language instruction; and introduced a decentralized system of education, empowering lower level structures to make service delivery decisions. Like in many other countries, MT instruction is seen as critical to building a pluralistic national identity where support for and promotion of multilingual and multi-ethnic cooperation is paramount for building the skills of the next generation of Ethiopians.
In their desire to further promote and prioritize mother tongue instruction, the MOE and Regional Education Bureaus (REBs) continue to fil gaps by supplying MT languages with reading materials, as well as training teachers to teach in mother tongue effectively. As is often the case, however, policy implementation has proven to be more difficult to carry out than to formulate. Cohen (2007, p. 64) notes that not all the languages being used for primary grade instruction are successful in the classroom. And, of course, the politics underlying language choice remain, with attitudes in favor of or opposed to local language medium instruction often following more ethnic-political agendas than principles of good pedagogy (Cohen, 2007).
Finally, the policy decision to prioritize English language learning in primary schools has meant that English is gaining greater influence on language practices in Ethiopia. It will be important for Ethiopia to continue to balance the value of English in local contexts as well as in the national language ecology.
The presenter will examine the following:
• Source and extent of the demand for learning to read in English
• Mother tongue instruction as a unifier or divider
• Balancing demand with best practice
• The challenges associated with materials development and systems strengthening efforts in a changing political landscape.

Boothe and Walker, Language Problems & Language Planning 21(1):1-19 · July 1997 
Ethiopian Herald, “Ethiopia: The Issue of Mother Tongue 51 Local Languages in Use As Instructional Medium”, December 8, 2017.
Cohen, G.P.E (2007) ‘Identity and Opportunity: The Implication of Using Local Languages in the Primary Education System of SNNPR, Ethiopia". Unpublished PhD Thesis. London: School of African and Oriental Studies.

Author

• Mesfin Derash Zeme, Materials Development Specialist, READ II Ethiopia Creative Associates International