50 | Mother tongue-based multilingual education
Recommendations for mother tongue-based multilingual education
1. Undertake an inventory of relevant controlled experiments in the use of MT in education.
Results of experiments such as those conducted in Mexico, Philippines, Nigeria the Ife project and Cameroon PROPELCA project, etc. which show positive
results for MT-MLE, need to be documented. A compendium of such case studies will be useful with policy makers, to bring them on board and for the edification of
practitioners in need of inspiration.
2. Take measures to sensitise all citizens on the value of the MT and MT- MLE as well as the need for individual personal action and responsibility in the
intergenerational transmission of the MT and contribution to the development and use of the MT in the formal and informal education systems.
3. Make an inventory of research findings on the actual use of MT-MLE models in different multilingual situations such as those in Ethiopia, South Africa,
Nigeria, Burkina Faso etc. for inspiration to undertake action research in the teaching of the officialnational language and other languages over a background
of mother tongue first education.
4. Undertake experimentation with a small number of languages to determine appropriate, workable MT-MLE strategies adapted to the National Language-in-
Education policy LiEP.
5. Encourage the constitution of Language Planning Committees LPCs for
each language of the nation with terms of reference of having them undertake all action needed to ensure the revitalisation, revalorisation, instrumentalisation and
intellectualisation of each language see Chumbow 2011 for operational definitions of these processes. These measures may include measures of standardisation,
harmonisation, terminology development, etc. The example of the National Association Cameroon Language Committees NACALCO in Cameroon Tadadjeu
et al. 2005 among others in Tanzania, Nigeria etc. should be instructive with respect to details of objectives and terms of reference of language committees.
6. Encourage the creation of or instrumentalisation of Development and Cultural Associations DCAs of ethno-linguistic communities. These associations can be
motivated to become partners of government in the appropriation of the initiatives of language development within the context of community ownership of language
projects by the ethno-linguistic community and its elites. For more on community ownership, see Chiatoh 2004, 2008.
7. Encourage the appropriation of language development projects of the LPCs by the DCAs. In the Cameroon experience, the elites of these communities when
duly sensitised on the status and function of their neglected languages which are elements of culture par excellence, work with the Association to support the
work of LPCs and eventually appropriate and own the language development project, financing most of its activities and assigning dedicated members of their
community to work with experts from the universities in order acquire relevant skills and techniques for the production of literacy materials, language teaching materials,
writing pedagogical grammars, etc. See Tadadjeu et al. 2001 and Chiatoh 2008 for a detailed presentation of the ideal of community ownership of language projects.
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8. Take measures to ensure capacity building in all areas of MT-MLE. This involves
