Do you think Swahili important?
Apr 28, 2009
SO what do Ugandans feel about the language? At what level would it be appropriate to teach it? Should it be made compulsory in schools? <b>Rehema Aanyu</b> talked to some stakeholders.
SO what do Ugandans feel about the language? At what level would it be appropriate to teach it? Should it be made compulsory in schools? Rehema Aanyu talked to some stakeholders.
Wilson Mawejje, the head teacher of Kazo
Church of Uganda Primary School
Swahili is an important language because it is the main medium of communication in Africa. The fact that we are members of the East African Community gives us more reason to make Swahili compulsory in schools. This should be at a time when teachers for Swahili have been trained. I think it is appropriate for the language to be taught at the lower level of primary — in P.4 — because at this stage, a child has grasped his mother tongue and has acquired the skill of writing, so he or she is able to conceptualise things in another language.
Sumaya Nalunga, student of Old Kampala Secondary School
Swahili is important because it was recognised as an international language. Since other international languages - English, French, Latin and German - are taught in schools, why not Swahili? I think it should be made compulsory at O’level because at A’level, one needs to concentrate on his or her subject combination and pupils in primary would not take it seriously.
John Bosco Kalyango, a teacher of St Charles Lwanga Kasasa
The world is a global village; the need to communicate is greater now than ever. Swahili is spoken by the majority of people in Africa and we need a language that unites us as Africans. It is a neutral language compared to others. An acholi can comfortably speak Swahili without feeling like it is being imposed on him. Other countries are adopting Swahili as a national language, for instance Rwanda. Why not Uganda? Swahili should be taught from Primary Four so that children can grasp it at an early age rather than at secondary level, where it risks being taken for granted.
Edward Ochieng, a marketer
The fact that Swahili is an international language means that it should be taught in schools. It is also a language that gives us our identity as Africans compared to other language like German, French and Spanish, which are foreign but widely taught in our schools. If a syllabus is developed, Swahili should be taught both at primary and secondary level so that when children leave school, they are masters in the language.
Mable Kaitesi, a trader
I have no problem with Swahili because it is a language for trade. It is what I use to communicate with my customers. We have many foreigners, especially Sudanese, coming here to buy things in Kampala and Swahili has become essential. Our children would be better off knowing Swahili than Spanish or French. It is high time the ministry made it compulsory because we are lagging behind. Look at out neighbours and how far they have gone. Surely, if we are to develop, Swahili is the way to go.
Sam Rugumayo, a driver
I did not go to school and even knew very little English, but I was able to get a job as a driver due to my good command of the Swahili language. Swahili cuts across geographical boundaries. I have done business in Congo yet I do not know French. The fact that it is a widely spoken is reason enough for it to be taught in our schools. Children should be taught Swahili right from P.1, but be examined at P.5 because then, they would have learnt how to speak and write it.
Origin of Kiswahili language
The Swahili language can be traced back to 1500AD and is basically of Bantu origin. Some scholars attribute these phenomena to the intermarriages between Africans and Arabs at the East African coast.
According to www.glcom.com, the word Swahili was used by early Arab visitors to the coast and it means ‘the coast’. Ultimately, it came to be applied to the people and the language. So the language was borne out of both Arabic and African cultures.
For centuries, Swahili remained the language of the people of the East African coast and later started spreading to other regions.
In Tanzania, Swahili is the national as well as the official language. In Kenya, it is the national language, but official correspondence is conducted in English.
In Uganda, the national language is English, but Swahili enjoys a large number of speakers, especially in the army. It is said that during the Idi Amin’s regime, Swahili was declared the national language.
However, the declaration was neither observed nor repealed by the successive governments.
Wilson Mawejje, the head teacher of Kazo
Church of Uganda Primary School
Swahili is an important language because it is the main medium of communication in Africa. The fact that we are members of the East African Community gives us more reason to make Swahili compulsory in schools. This should be at a time when teachers for Swahili have been trained. I think it is appropriate for the language to be taught at the lower level of primary — in P.4 — because at this stage, a child has grasped his mother tongue and has acquired the skill of writing, so he or she is able to conceptualise things in another language.
Sumaya Nalunga, student of Old Kampala Secondary School
Swahili is important because it was recognised as an international language. Since other international languages - English, French, Latin and German - are taught in schools, why not Swahili? I think it should be made compulsory at O’level because at A’level, one needs to concentrate on his or her subject combination and pupils in primary would not take it seriously.
John Bosco Kalyango, a teacher of St Charles Lwanga Kasasa
The world is a global village; the need to communicate is greater now than ever. Swahili is spoken by the majority of people in Africa and we need a language that unites us as Africans. It is a neutral language compared to others. An acholi can comfortably speak Swahili without feeling like it is being imposed on him. Other countries are adopting Swahili as a national language, for instance Rwanda. Why not Uganda? Swahili should be taught from Primary Four so that children can grasp it at an early age rather than at secondary level, where it risks being taken for granted.
Edward Ochieng, a marketer
The fact that Swahili is an international language means that it should be taught in schools. It is also a language that gives us our identity as Africans compared to other language like German, French and Spanish, which are foreign but widely taught in our schools. If a syllabus is developed, Swahili should be taught both at primary and secondary level so that when children leave school, they are masters in the language.
Mable Kaitesi, a trader
I have no problem with Swahili because it is a language for trade. It is what I use to communicate with my customers. We have many foreigners, especially Sudanese, coming here to buy things in Kampala and Swahili has become essential. Our children would be better off knowing Swahili than Spanish or French. It is high time the ministry made it compulsory because we are lagging behind. Look at out neighbours and how far they have gone. Surely, if we are to develop, Swahili is the way to go.
Sam Rugumayo, a driver
I did not go to school and even knew very little English, but I was able to get a job as a driver due to my good command of the Swahili language. Swahili cuts across geographical boundaries. I have done business in Congo yet I do not know French. The fact that it is a widely spoken is reason enough for it to be taught in our schools. Children should be taught Swahili right from P.1, but be examined at P.5 because then, they would have learnt how to speak and write it.
Origin of Kiswahili language
The Swahili language can be traced back to 1500AD and is basically of Bantu origin. Some scholars attribute these phenomena to the intermarriages between Africans and Arabs at the East African coast.
According to www.glcom.com, the word Swahili was used by early Arab visitors to the coast and it means ‘the coast’. Ultimately, it came to be applied to the people and the language. So the language was borne out of both Arabic and African cultures.
For centuries, Swahili remained the language of the people of the East African coast and later started spreading to other regions.
In Tanzania, Swahili is the national as well as the official language. In Kenya, it is the national language, but official correspondence is conducted in English.
In Uganda, the national language is English, but Swahili enjoys a large number of speakers, especially in the army. It is said that during the Idi Amin’s regime, Swahili was declared the national language.
However, the declaration was neither observed nor repealed by the successive governments.