115 aspects of mother-tongue literacy work. This is generally the extent of SIL personnel
involvement, none of which is done by the expatriate alone.
3.2.7. Differences between the three language development programmes
Notwithstanding the similarities noted above, the three language communities and language development programmes are unquestionably distinct. The cultural profile of the
Nso people is more cosmopolitan than the other two; the Nso kingdom was historically quite powerful, and is regarded today particularly by themselves as the premiere community of
the Northwest Province. The capital of the Banso area, Kumbo, boasts a Catholic cathedral, two large mission hospitals and many secondary schools. At the same time, much of the Nso
population still resides in villages or rural areas. The average education levels of Nso people appear to be high compared to other language groups of the area, with many Nso young
people in universities around the country. The population of Nso has been estimated at about 150,000 in the homeland, with perhaps as many more living elsewhere in the country Grebe
12 July 2003. The Kom people, though also a strong people historically, today tend to be more
rurally located than the Nso. The Kom homeland has three principal towns, Fundong, Njinikom and Belo, of which Fundong
113
is the largest, and many rural villages. The population is estimated at about 150,000 in the homeland area Jones 12 July 2003 with an
unknown number living elsewhere in Cameroon. Kom people are proud of their cultural and linguistic heritage, and a certain rivalry exists between them and the Nso as to which is the
most populous and important language community of Northwest Province. Education levels tend not to be so high in Kom as those of the Nso.
The Bafut community has roughly half the population of either the Kom or Nso communities, estimated at about 80,000 people in the homeland and perhaps the same
number elsewhere in the country Mfonyam 13 July 2003. The Bafut homeland consists of a string of small towns and villages, which begin just 30 km. from the current provincial capital
city of Bamenda. Historically the Bafut were known as a powerful people in the Grassfields
114
; however, their proximity to the growing city of Bamenda in recent decades
113
The population of Fundong in 1992 was estimated at 20,000 taken from http:www.citypopulation.de.
114
The Bafut are mentioned as one of the groups which successfully attacked German expeditionary forces into the Grassfields around the turn of the 20
th
century Chilver 1967; Nkwi 1989.
116 has meant more pressure
115
on the Bafut language from English and French than the other two language communities have experienced.
In terms of the history of written language among the three communities, Nso has probably the longest tradition of using the written mother tongue, beginning around the mid-
1970s. This was mainly due to the influence of Catholic Church leaders in Banso. In Kom, Mueller was using written Kom in the early 1970s, though there is little evidence that Kom
people were actively reading or writing Kom until the advent of the KLDC in the late 1980s. In Bafut, the use of written Bafut is a more recent phenomenon, and its acceptance is still in
process. In terms of the PROPELCA education programme, more differences are evident. The
Bafut PROPELCA programme began in the early 1990s, but experienced more active growth beginning in 1996 Ambe 3 Feb 2003. The programme exhibits a number of characteristics
one might expect to find in a relatively early implementation phase of mother-tongue education:
• gradual sensitisation of parents and teachers to the value of Bafut language teaching; • a growing number of schools which have PROPELCA classes 27 schools
• a large number of informal PROPELCA classes compared to formal PROPELCA classes
24 to 3, with the teachers in the informal programme being managed and paid where at all by BALA
• a limited number of titles in the Bafut language • a certain degree of struggle against negative language attitudes that exist within the Bafut
community, primarily because of the proximity of Bafut to the English-speaking provincial capital, Bamenda
• a limited number of literacy supervisors one full time, plus two part time, and limited financial support for those supervisors.
The Kom programme exhibits characteristics of a PROPELCA programme in full flow; having begun in 1985 but picking up momentum in the early 1990s Kain 20 Jan 2003,
the programme now shows indications of significant strength. For example: • a general willingness of parents and teachers to see their children taught in the mother
tongue in primary school
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As mentioned above, this pressure is in terms of both increased code mixing and language prestige.
117 • 60 primary schools roughly half of the primary schools in Kom area with mother-tongue
classes, of which 48 are formal and 12 are informal • active production of Kom publications by the KLDC, and regular purchase of periodic
publications such as diaries and news sheets • expanding infrastructure, with five training teacher training centres, five part-time
supervisors and a coordinator of literacy and mother-tongue education. The Lamnso’ PROPELCA programme exhibits characteristics of a more mature
programme. As one of the first languages in Cameroon to take up the PROPELCA programme, Lamnso’ has been taught in local primary schools since 1981. The programme
was operating at its height in the early 1990s, after which it fell upon hard times when the primary mission school sponsors of PROPELCA in Lamnso’ decreased their support.
However, with recent government policy decisions regarding using national languages in schools, the Lamnso’ programme is once again on the increase. Some characteristics of this
programme include the following: • PROPELCA alumni who are now in their mid-20s and older, and who report a positive
impact of early mother-tongue education on their lives PROPELCA alumni survey 2003
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• classes in 39 primary schools NACALCO 2001, about half of which operate informal PROPELCA and half operate formal PROPELCA
• extensive publications in Lamnso’, of various genres • five part-time supervisors of PROPELCA teachers and literacy facilitators.
3.3. Conclusion
