Regional conference on bilingual education and the use of local languages
August 3-5, 2005, Windhoek, Namibia
This conference,
which is jointly organized by ADEA and GTZ (Germany) in partnership
with the UNESCO Institute of Education (UIE), will be hosted by the
Government of Namibia and take place in Windhoek. It will bring together
experts on bilingual education and the use of local languages, representatives
of Ministries of Education as well as representatives of GTZ, ADEA,
UIE and various other agencies as a follow-up to the 2003 ADEA Biennial
Meeting and in preparation for the next Biennial in 2006. The conference
will provide the opportunity to reflect on a subject that is crucial
for the development of education in Africa as well as to create a knowledge-base
of good practices with regard to bilingual education and use of local
languages.
Conference Documents :
Agenda (Word Format, 149 Ko);
Agenda (PDF Format 181 Ko);
Draft
Working Document (Word Format, 1,3 Mo);
Draft
Working Document (PDF Format, 1,0 Mo)
Press
Release - 27/07/05 (Word Format, 99 ko); Press
Release - 27/07/05, PDF Format 96 Ko)
Press
release (27/07/05)
ADEA, GTZ and UIE to organize a conference on bilingual education
and the use of African languages in education in Windhoek
Paris, July 27, 2005: Next week, the Association for
the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the German cooperation
agency (GTZ) and the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE), in partnership
with the Ministry of Education of Namibia and the Agence intergouvernementale
pour la francophonie (AIF), will hold a conference of experts on bilingual
education and the use of African languages as languages of instruction
in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The conference will be held at the Country
Club Resort in Windhoek, Namibia, August 3-5, 2005.
Many specialists from a variety of backgrounds will take part in the
conference, including linguists, education specialists, experts in communication,
academics, publishers, senior officials of education ministries, and
representatives of development agencies from seventeen African countries
(Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa,
Uganda and Zambia) and countries from other regions (France, Germany,
Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States). Five professors
from African and Northern universities will contribute their expertise
(the University of Cape Town, South Africa; the University of Ibadan,
Nigeria; the University of Leipzig, Germany; the University of Oslo,
Norway; and Alliant International University, United States), as will
the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN). In addition to the organizers,
several development agencies that support education in Africa will also
attend, including the Irish cooperation agency, the Norwegian Agency
for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the International Development
Research Center (IDRC). Also participating in the conference will be
two regional and sub-regional organizations, CONFEMEN (Conférence
des ministres de l’éducation ayant le français en
partage) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well
as two ADEA working groups: the Working Group on Books and Learning
Materials (WGBLM) and the Working Group on Communication for Education
and Development (WGCOMED).
The conference will be officially opened by the Minister of Education
of Namibia at the Country Club Resort in Windhoek on the morning of
August 3, 2005.
Research has shown for the past fifty years that the use of African
languages in education is a vital issue for the development of relevant
and effective African education systems. It has been demonstrated that
mother-tongue instruction and bilingual education are important factors
in the improvement of learning processes. Studies conducted by ADEA
show that in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia,
pupils in bilingual schools perform better than those in monolingual
schools in the principal subjects, namely mathematics, sciences and
languages, including French and English.
Nevertheless, many stakeholders in education, including African ministers
of education, still doubt the value of mother-tongue and bilingual education,
and do not encourage the development of these practices. A majority
of African countries continues to favor use of the official language
– a foreign language (English, French, Spanish or Portuguese)
– as the primary and in some cases only language of instruction.
In view of the situation, and conscious of the importance of this matter
for the development of education in Africa, ADEA, GTZ and UIE decided
to organize this conference of experts in order to advance the policy
dialogue surrounding the use of African languages, not only at the level
of governments and international organizations, but also at that of
teachers and their students.
The aim of the Conference on Bilingual Education and the Use of African
Languages as Media of Instruction is to review current knowledge on
the use of African languages in the education sector in order to identify
relevant issues and strategies for the development of bilingual education
in African countries. The conference participants will examine the findings
of a study on mother-tongue and bilingual education in sub-Saharan Africa
that was commissioned by ADEA in collaboration with the GTZ and UIE.
The study, conducted by six education specialists, analyzes the situation
in thirteen African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia,
Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
and Zambia).
In addition to assessing the current situation, the conference will
seek to develop a shared understanding among experts on accomplishments
and challenges in this field and to make recommendations on the strategies
and policies to be implemented. The conference’s results and conclusions
will hopefully serve to develop arguments and materials to enhance advocacy
and awareness campaigns aimed at decision makers and the general public.
Another objective of the conference is to prepare for discussions
on bilingually oriented education policies at the next ADEA Biennial
Meeting, which will explore in greater depth the factors that determine
the effectiveness of schools and adult literacy programs as well as
successful and affordable initiatives for early childhood development.
A great many topics will be addressed during the conference, including
language policies at the national and international levels; teaching
practices at classroom level and active learning; models of instruction
in African languages and bilingual education in formal and non-formal
education systems; and publishing in African languages.
About ADEA
Founded in 1988, ADEA has become a partnership between ministries
of education and cooperation and development agencies. One of the principles
underlying ADEA’s philosophy is to consider that the responsibility
for educational development falls to African governments. ADEA’s
activities focus on policy dialogue between governments and funding
agencies, among African governments themselves and among development
organizations. They are also aimed at building institutional capacity
in Africa by developing technical skills, establishing networks for
information exchange and encouraging the sharing of successful strategies
and experiences.
Paris, July 27, 2005
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For further information, please visit the ADEA Web site: www.ADEAnet.org
or contact:
Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, Publications and Communication Officer, ADEA
In Paris: +33(0)14503 7769; th.desruelles@iiep.unesco.org
In Windhoek: Country Club Resort, 0926461
For more information, contact:
Joris van Bommel,
ADEA Program Officer
Tel: + 33/ (0) 145.03.77.79
Fax: + 33/ (0) 145.03.39.65
Email: j.vanbommel@iiep.unesco.org
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