Publish at August 01 2023 Updated August 01 2023
The educational environment, i.e. school, can sometimes prove to be a bored place for pupils, especially if the language used for instruction is not the same as that used at home, i.e. the first language learned. This is the situation faced by many children in countries where multilingualism is present. In a Unesco framework document oneducation in a multilingual world published in 2023, it is stated that
"studies have shown that, in many cases, mother-tongue instruction has a beneficial impact on first-language skills, academic performance in other subjects and second-language learning".
Unfortunately, in many countries, it's not easy to make mother tongues the languages of learning, as this would require enormous resources in terms of human resources and infrastructure. As a result, some languages are chosen as languages of instruction at national or regional level, to the detriment of others. So how can a child born into a multilingual context, whose mother tongue is not the language of instruction, cope?
I was born in a multilingual country with over 248 languages. Cameroon, as it is, is the result of a division at the Berlin Conference (November 1884-February 1885) that took no account of the sociolinguistic and cultural realities of the peoples living on the territory. Following the independence of East Cameroon (1960) and West Cameroon (1061), English and French were adopted as the official languages and, by extension, the languages of instruction. These two languages are part of the colonial heritage and, consequently, are not mother tongues for many Cameroonians. This choice is not without consequences for learners. According to the aforementioned Unesco document:
"It is obvious - although not universally recognized - that learning in a language that is not one's mother tongue is not an easy task. that learning in a language that is not one's own poses a double set of problems. It's not just a question of learning a new language, but also the new knowledge contained in that language.
It was in this context of learning through a foreign language (French) that I evolved. My mother tongue, Ngiemboon, one of the Bantu languages, was commonly used within the family and in my immediate environment. In the neighborhood where I grew up, it was the language of communication. Other languages were only spoken in the intuitions of the state. As a result, like many students, I was obliged to learn French or English at school while using Ngiemboon at home. Fortunately, my parents were the intermediaries.
Once at home, like my brothers, I had to present the lessons I'd learned in class, so my dad accompanied me in the revision. Very often, he would use his mother tongue to explain concepts that I didn't understand. He didn't hesitate to use this language to explain mathematical concepts to me. Having repeating parents helps many learners to cope in a multilingual context. However, the parent must be able to understand or read the official language used at school. Not all parents in Cameroon speak French or English. Some only speak local languages. In such cases, other measures are important.
In France, home educational assistants help learners better grasp the concepts covered in class; in Cameroon, they are commonly known as répétiteurs. Their choice does not often take into account their linguistic background.
Yet the best accompanist for a child whose mother tongue is not the language of instruction should be one who masters the language spoken by the learner in the family. He or she is a kind of interpreter who must learn the content in the language of instruction and explain it to the learner, taking into account his or her linguistic background.
In the African context in general, and in Cameroon in particular, the state has very few resources to support education. Children in difficulty are often left to their own devices. So it's up to parents to find a solution to their child's linguistic handicap. But without the means to hire an accompanist, how can they go about it?
When I was at college, some of our neighboring parents would approach us to accompany their children. I didn't hesitate to use my mother tongue to explain concepts when necessary. This act was only part of the spirit of solidarity that characterized my environment. It's a practice that needs to be spread more widely, even if services are becoming more and more fee-paying.
In remote localities where solidarity is still important, parents in the neighborhoods can organize themselves and offer spaces where academically advanced young people can come from time to time to the rescue of pupils with difficulties linked to the multilingual context. Holiday courses exist, but they are not free and not all parents can afford them. What's more, they come at a time when the school year is already over. And yet, a few hours a week of support from older women can enable young learners to make qualitative leaps forward.
Some parents in Cameroon and elsewhere in Africa may not be fluent in the official languages, but they have made a success of their lives and are able to afford the tools they need to educate their offspring. However, they may find themselves in an urban context where they have difficulty finding a companion who speaks the child's mother tongue. In such cases, the use of technology can be a godsend. More and more translation applications are appearing, but it would be interesting to encourage the development of applications in African languages. Many African languages can already be learned through applications such as Mukazali to learn Lingala, or Linguarena to learn Wolof, to name but a few. But in the context of the education problem we're talking about, translation or explanation apps would be better suited.
The OBTranslate tool, which aims to translate over 200 African languages, is commendable. However, a specific tool for learning in a multilingual context and adapted to the various multilingual countries would facilitate education for all.
In conclusion, multilingualism is an asset, but it can also be a constraint in education, especially for children whose mother tongue is different from the language of instruction. Ideally, everyone should be taught in their mother tongue. But this is not possible, so the environment is key for learners. Whether it's their parents, neighbors, teachers at school or applications, the learner needs to be able to turn to a resource to bridge the gap between the language spoken at home and that used at school.
Image : Наталия Когут on Pixabay
References
Lonfo Etienne and Stephen C. Anderson, 2016, "Dictionnaire ngiemboon-français-anglais", https://www.webonary.org/ngiemboon/overview/copyright/
Messina Ethe, Ndibnu Julia , 2013, "Compétences initiales et transmission des langues secondes et étrangères au Cameroun", Multilinguales, https://doi.org/10.4000/multilinguales.3199
Scidev.net, 2019, "A digital tool for translating 2000 African languages", https://urlz.fr/mLj7
Unesco, 2003, "Education in a multilingual world: UNESCO framework document", https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000129728_fre
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