Kiswahili Community Commends Govt for making Swahili a Language
Chama Cha Kiswahili Cha Taifa Uganda (CHAKITAU), an Uganda National Kiswahili Association an umbrella organization that brings together Kiswahili associations has commended the government for making the Swahili language an official language as well as making it compulsory to be taught in schools.
This week, ICT and National Guidance Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi announced that Cabinet had approved the language to ease the integration of East Africa.
“It was further agreed that training programs for Parliament, Cabinet, and the media be initiated,” he said.
Speaking to reporters in commemoration of the International Kiswahili Day and Current State of Swahili Language in Uganda held in Kampala, CHAKITAU leaders said that what the government did is good and commendable.
“The Kiswahili fraternity is sincerely grateful to the Government of the Republic of Uganda for supporting the development of Kiswahili by introducing Kiswahili as a compulsory subject in Primary Teachers’ Colleges and Lower Secondary (S1 & S 2) in 2013 and 2020 respectively, approving Kiswahili Syllabi for all educational institutions. And disseminating Kiswahili textbooks to all government-aided primary schools, all Primary Teachers’ Colleges, and Secondary Schools,” they said
The government was also commended for employing and paying Kiswahili teachers at secondary and post-secondary institutions, making a decision at the Cabinet-level to approve the implementation of the 21″ EAC Summit directive in Uganda to adopt Kiswahili as an official language of the community, and recommending that the teaching of Kiswahili in Primary and Secondary Schools be made compulsory and examinable. Furthermore, by agreeing to initiate training programs for parliament, cabinet, and the media
The inaugural celebrations of World’s Kiswahili day as declared by UNESCO member states in their 41″ session, on November 24, 2021, in Paris.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognized the role Kiswahili language plays in promoting cultural diversity, creating awareness, and fostering Unity and dialogue.
It also recognized Kiswahili as one of the most widely spoken African languages in the world with over 200 million speakers. The major celebrations are taking place in Zanzibar hosted by the East African Kiswahili Commission.
CHAKITAU draws the majority of its membership from Kiswahili teachers at all levels of education and researchers. It also has members outside educational institutions such as the army, police, prisons, business community, media, and other Kiswahili lovers.
“We recommend that Kiswahili Language be taught as a compulsory subject from Primary one to senior six,” they said, concluding,
“East African protocol provides for the teaching of Kiswahili in Primary and Secondary schools as a compulsory subject, and whereas textbooks have been developed and distributed in all schools, it is worrying that the teaching of Kiswahili at the primary level has taken long,”
