By Mike Musisi-Musoke and Wilberforce Kawere
Teachers of the French language have petitioned government to make it mandatory for all Ugandan learners to learn major foreign languages especially French, arguing that this will be a beginning step in fast tracking integration of the East African Community where some member countries speak French as the official language.
The teachers expressed the view that lack of knowledge of these major international languages will curtail Ugandans’ opportunities of accessing jobs in neighbouring countries subscribing to the East African Community, and cited countries including Rwanda, Burundi, Congo Republic and the DR Congo where French is widely used, and is the official language in the majority of these countries.
The dons aired out their suggestion during celebrations for marking the international French language Teachers’ day held on Saturday at Kyambogo University.
The Head of the Department of Arts and Humanities at Kyambogo University Prof. Elizabeth Kyazike pointed out that today, when the country depends a lot on imported technology, there is need for Ugandans with knowledge of the language to man machinery imported from France or other French speaking countries.
Prof. Kyazike lamented that Ugandan students have missed out on Algerian scholarships, in addition to missing job opportunities in other countries of the world in the present-day job scarcity.
“And when the East African Community integration process is completed, Ugandans may have nothing to show as a way of employment benefits in countries like Rwanda, Burundi and DRC”, she pointed out.
She sadly noted that because Ugandan learners start studying French late at secondary school level, it attracts only a few of them in comparison to languages like English which is studied beginning much earlier.
“As a result, there are only fifty French learners in Kyambogo University,” she added.
A French language lecturer at Makerere University Prof. Edith Natukunda lamented that the government policy of pulling out teachers without degrees is more harshly biting to French teachers given the peanuts they are paid in salary.
Elaborating, Natukunda added, “At Makerere, there is a master’s programme at a cost of sh6m per semester, making the total requirement for four semesters sh24m but a teacher’s salary, this is a big challenge,” adding that the solution is for government to boost teachers’ salary.
Natukunda added that the situation is not made any simpler by the fact that teachers are not on payroll especially in government schools, and also suggested that there is need for headteachers to realize the importance of foreign languages on their syllabuses, save for the English language.
And the President of Uganda French Teachers Association, Dr. Agatha Tumwine Magezi said that many school heads look down upon French language learning as an avenue of renewing neo-colonialism in the country, which she said is an erroneous and misleading perception.
“There will be need for much communication in the East African community whether for business or for any other reason, but with the language barrier limitation, Ugandans will be cut off as far as interaction with colleagues in the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi is concerned,” Dr. Tumwine noted.
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