Making Schooling More Meaningful: The benefits of learning to read in mother

tongue in the early grades

The Issues• Statistics of low literacy (reading) achievement

among of primary school learners• Evident causes of low levels, with reference to

home and schooling experiences• Available solutions, emphasizing mother tongue

reading and writing programs in lower grades• Evidence of gains from systematic mother tongue

reading instruction demonstrated by SHRP• How Government can institutionalize these gains

The Problem• NAPE data (2014) of 64.2% of P3 learners being

proficient in English literacy and 48.6% in oral reading.• UWEZO data (2013) of 47% of 10 year olds in Uganda

reading.• School Health and Reading Program EGRA data (2013)

shows low abilities ranging between 0 and 0.3 wpm among P1 children for Atɛsͻ, Lëblaŋo, Luganda and Runy-Ruk.

• Statistics suggest learning failure, given the critical role of reading in learning.

• Statistics are in spite of the Thematic Curriculum which emphasizes teaching in the child’s familiar language.

A Review of the Causes • The Thematic Curriculum emphasizes the existing

speaking and listening competences of the child as a basis for early reading and writing.

• Children come to school with a level of competence in speaking and listening in mother tongue.

• Children joining P1 are exposed to content in an unfamiliar language, and are expected to know how to read in it.

• Few teachers are equipped with knowledge of how children learn to read and the methods of teaching reading in early grades.

• Children have had no print to read from in class.

Solution• Learning to read in a familiar language strengthens

a child’s reading abilities which are transferable to second and third language learning experiences.

• Teaching is effective only if done in a systematic manner focusing on:

adequate instructional time a familiar language age and grade level appropriate texts trained teachers and teacher support continuous assessment of learners

Age and Grade Level Appropriate Text in a Familiar Language

• developed on the basis of an orthography validated by the speech community (language board is key)

• reflecting the five components of reading, so as to build the foundational competences that are transferable to other languages

• aligning content with the themes and sub-themes of the TC so that children can draw on their real world experiences, progressing from known to unknown

• incorporating the value of Oral Literature and News for mastering listening, speaking, vocabulary, structures and critical thinking

Benefits: Local Language Oral Reading Fluency (wpm) Baseline March 2013 and Follow-up Oct 2014

(SHRP EGRA data)

0 1.9 0.1 2 0.2

9.2

0.3

6.9

0 0.5 0 0.9 0.1

5.5

0.3

4.4

Baseline Follow-up 2 Baseline Follow-up 2 Baseline Follow-up 2 Baseline Follow-up 2

Ateso Leblango Luganda Run/Rukiga

School Health and Reading Program

Control

Benefits: Percentage of Local Language Comprehension Questions Answered - End of P2

(SHRP EGRA data)

1 1

3 3

0.2 0

2.5

0.4

Ateso Leblango Luganda Run/Rukiga

Local Language English

Benefits: Number of Reading Comprehension Questions Answered Correctly – End of P2

(SHRP EGRA data)

Act to Institutionalize …• EGR reading methodology, for teachers to change

classroom practices - teach reading from print, emphasize the phonic approach, conduct continuous assessment;

• provision of adequate primers (1:1) and teachers’ guides;

• college based training of pre-service teachers in EGR reading methodology;

• classroom support for reading teachers, involving head teachers, CCTs, district education officers, and

• EGRA to scale.

For the Children of Uganda…

DON’T LOOK AWAY ■ SPEAK OUT ■ INSPIRE ■

GET INVOLVED ■