Mutsindashyaka meets MPs over use of English in schools

PARLIAMENT - As part of government efforts, to make English the language of instruction in Rwandan schools, State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education appeared before the lower House of Parliament to explain the new government policy . During the session, Mutsindashyaka, urged the Parliamentarians to help the government in sensitising the population on the national importance of the new policy direction. “As representatives of the citizens, we request that you help us on the sensitisation campaign to see the process through,” Mutsindashyaka appealed to the legislators, yesterday at the Parliamentary building. He explained to the lawmakers that the programme’s implementation strategy has been split into three phases. “There is a short term which is between next year and 2010; the medium term will be from 2010 to 2015, the same year we envision the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while the long term strategy will run up to 2020,” the minister explained. During his presentation, several lawmakers expressed their concerns about the venture, some saying that having it enforced so soon may have a negative impact on children. According to Mutsindashyaka, children, in both primary and secondary schools will, at the beginning of the next academic year which starts next January, receive all instructions in the English language. “This is a very good initiative and we all understand that it’s in the best interests of our children but it is too soon for it to be implemented,” MP Abbas Mukama expressed his worry. He gave an example of the Genocide ideology that has still remained unchecked even with the efforts to uproot it from the Rwandan society. “Time was needed to prepare Rwandans to adopt English because it will not be easy to have people just switch from one language to the other just after a short period,” Mukama further argued. Mutsindashyaka responded that the important thing will be to get started as the rest will fall in place easily. He said that very many initiatives championed by the government in the past were deemed ‘impossible’ only to discover their possibility after kicking off. “We have to start enforcing the policy as soon as possible if we want to succeed because it will only be after starting that we shall begin identifying any stumbling blocs and thereby rectify them,” underscored Mutsindashyaka. Other queries raised by MPs include fears that some opportunists may take advantage of the situation and initiate English teaching schools with no proper facilities which will end up negatively affecting the performance of the children. “Already some people are stalking our children at schools giving them their contacts to take to parents saying that they have English teaching schools…unsuspecting parents may end up enrolling children in those substandard schools,” said Francoise Mukayisenga. The Minister said that a joint task force between the ministry and the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) has been set up which will be responsible for the accreditation of schools that are vetted as having the requisite facilities to offer English lessons. Other measures, he said, include obtaining teachers from neighbouring English-speaking countries to train local teachers. The government also plans to make use of the school holidays, which started last Friday to give English training to both primary and secondary school teachers in order to prepare them for the implementation of the programme. Cabinet last month, issued a directive that all government affiliated schools in the country adopt English as the language of instruction while French will remain as a taught subject. The decision was made in order to make Rwandans graduating from school more competent on the labour market because of the continued international dominance of the English language. Rwanda has also joined the predominantly English speaking East African Community (EAC) and is warming up to join the Commonwealth family. Ends