Between English and the mother tongue: The problem of the language of education in Kenya | Story

Kericho, Kenya When Lona Chepkemoi walked into a college art class in 2023, she discovered something she hadn’t often experienced in school: She could understand what the teacher was saying.

After leaving primary school in 2008, Chepkemoi failed his final exams, and his family could not send him to secondary school. For years, the dream of becoming a fashion designer seemed impossible.

Then the local parliamentarian gave him a second chance.

But what surprised the 33-year-old mother of five was that she did not return to education. It was a limited education in Kalenjin, their language, he said.

“When I got to college, I felt at home because the language of instruction was my mother’s language (Kalenjin), and it was mixed with Swahili and a little English, unlike at school when the teachers only taught in English and the exams were only in English.

For Chepkemoi, the difference went beyond comfort, it was understanding.

His experiences reflect the reality of the world. According to UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) reports, about 40 percent of students worldwide are not taught in their native language, and this has risen to 90 percent in some poor and middle-income countries.

A second chance through common language

In Kenya, the curriculum provides instruction in the mother tongue in the early years of primary school, usually up to grade 3, before English becomes the main language of instruction from grade 4, and Swahili is also widely used. In practice, however, classrooms often switch between languages ​​depending on the region, the strength of the teachers and the background of the students.

Across Africa, the language of instruction in schools is still in keeping with the practices of colonial parents, where English, French or Portuguese dominate the classroom even as children grow up speaking different languages ​​at home.

UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring project shows that multilingual classrooms are now common in many countries. The organization has been saying that children learn better in the language they hear, and said that multi-lingual education in the mother tongue is the key to improving literacy and learning.

When English meets the real classroom

Chepkemoi was not alone in gaining confidence through popular language. Her husband, Philemon Tonui, enrolled in the same school to study architecture and construction.

Although Tonui finished high school, he was unable to take his final exams because his family could not afford the fees, leaving him without a certificate.

For Tonui, using Kalenjin along with English and Swahili was very helpful.

“Nothing is impossible. I felt that if every level of education was taught in their own language, more people would do well in their studies,” he told Al Jazeera.

A 28-year-old boy named Ismael Kiplang’at also studied at the same school. He remembers that the teachers deliberately tried to teach in languages ​​that the students could understand.

“Our college was in a town with many communities in it, and even though the instructors didn’t know all the languages, they probably repeated their words in about three languages ​​to make sure everyone was on board and understood what was on the train.” And those who came from other tribes always showed satisfaction, saying that they really felt that they had a part and were not left behind.

He is now working in construction three years after completing his studies, he says that this method is what has helped him succeed.

“If education meant the boring English classes we were taught in school, I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my artistic interests and earn money,” he told Al Jazeera.

Between understanding and opportunity

However, education in Kenya, like many in Africa, continues to face a conflict: Early learning is most effective in the popular languages, but English is important for higher education, public service and international travel.

Kiplang’at says he now practices English every day because he hopes to study more and work abroad.

For Shadrack Tonui, the national chairman of the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions, the problem is not the choice of languages, but the arrangement of them in multilingual classrooms.

“In general, the teaching method is in English as the language of teaching and learning in institutions. But of course, with the need to understand the flexibility of education, there may be an emphasis on the use of a language that the student will be able to understand at lower levels,” said Al Jazeera.

He also said that institutions collect students of different languages, which makes it difficult to rely on one local language, while also stressing the importance of knowing English in the job market.

This problem is not unique to Kenya. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring project shows that multilingual classrooms are now common in many countries, and education systems often suffer from teacher preparation, learning materials in local languages, and competing expectations of parents and employers for English.

‘Why should we learn another language?’

As for Chepkemoi, he is less concerned with policy than execution. Most of his customers speak Kalenjin, while Swahili helps him communicate with many customers.

“Although we were lucky to have teachers who brought lessons to our home while we were in college, we also had classmates from other areas who did not speak Kalenjin, and the teachers explained to them in Kiswahili,” he said.

For Kiplang’at, however, the debate boils down to one question: understanding.

He said: “Sometimes I wonder why someone in Europe, Asia, or America learns the language they grew up speaking.