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Effects of Language Status on Assessment and Educational Development of Basotho Learners from Minority Languages' Backgrounds

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Effects of Language Status on Assessment and Educational Development of Basotho Learners from Minority Languages' Backgrounds International Journal of Language Education Volume 4, Number 3, 2020, pp. 378-388 ISSN: 2548-8457 (Print) 2548-8465 (Online) Doi: https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v4i3.14046 Effects of Language Status on Assessment and Educational Development of Basotho Learners from Minority Languages’ Backgrounds Maboleba Kolobe National University of Lesotho, Lesotho Email: [email protected] Lifelile Matsoso National University of Lesotho, Lesotho Email: [email protected] Received: 19 June 2020 Reviewed: 1 September-16 October 2020 Accepted: 1 November 2020 Abstract This paper provides a critical overview of the theoretical and practical questions that prevail in the teaching, learning, and assessment of learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds in Lesotho. It investigates how far exclusion of minority languages affects both assessment and/or educational development of learners whose mother tongue is not Sesotho but other minority languages spoken in Lesotho. The paper advances a research-evidenced argument that the poor performance of students from such backgrounds is indicative of marginalisation and discrimination of such learners due to their language background. A constructivist qualitative study was adopted through use of focus group discussions with 246 learners and 142 teachers in 23 schools located in Botha Bothe, Mohale’s Hoek, Qacha’s Nek and Quthing districts in Lesotho. These places were selected based on their predominance of minority languages. The findings revealed diminutive if not absolute non-recognition of minority languages in teaching, learning, and assessment of learners from this linguistic background. Therefore, the study concludes that linguistically discriminative curriculum, teaching and learning and assessment educational practices can reasonably be associated with poor performance of learners. Based on these findings, the paper recommends that Lesotho’s education system should respect and embrace existence of national minority languages. Again, the curriculum, its implementation and more importantly assessment should not be divorced from linguistic background of learners. Keywords: Minority language, Language discrimination, Assessment, Lesotho languages Introduction Lesotho is a country of residence for a group known as Basotho. Gill (1993, p. xiii) defines Basotho as “people united under Moshoeshoe 1 during the first half of the 19th century.” In Gill’s view, the Basotho speak Sesotho (known as Southern Sotho) as their language but there are other languages such as siXhosa, Ndebele and siPhuthi spoken in Lesotho. While Sesotho is the language of the majority population and the other three are spoken by the minority groups, the Lesotho Constitution declares Sesotho and English as official languages in Lesotho and is silent 378 Vol. 4, No. 3, 2020 Kolobe & Matsoso about existence of these other languages (MoET, 2009). Even though the two are declared as both official in the country, their status quo is defined by the roles that they play. According to Ansell’s (2002) cited in Raselimo & Mahao (2015, p. 3), English was privileged over other languages even after implementation of Lesotho Curriculum and Assessment Policy (CAP). Illustratively, English is used as a language of business and administration. It is further used as a medium of instruction in schools from grade 4 to tertiary. Sesotho, on the other hand, is used as a medium of instruction from grade 1 to 3 because it is mistakenly regarded as the only mother tongue in Lesotho. The CAP states that a child should be taught in their mother tongue in grades 1-3 (MoET, 2009). Contrarily, this is not the case in Lesotho given that only Sesotho is used as a medium of instruction from grades 1-3 while the other three languages spoken in Lesotho are marginalised. This means that learners who come from these minority linguistic backgrounds are also marginalised and their education development compromised. Such language status has denied the minority communities’ linguistic rights which include freedom of using own language in education hence their presumed poor performance at school over the years. This observation is supported by Christopher (2008, p. 203) that Poor linguistic development is bound to stunt an individual’s intellectual and/or expression of knowledge in other subject areas, since language is the medium for the reception and expression of knowledge. It is likely that some students’ achievement in other subjects/courses do not reflect the extent of their knowledge in the area due to their inability to express what they have in mind. Premised on this reflection, the present study investigates how far exclusion of minority languages in the Lesotho school curriculum impact on the assessment and educational growth of learners from minority languages’ background in Lesotho. The researchers bring forth a research- evidenced argument that the poor performance of learners from such backgrounds is indicative of marginalisation and discrimination of learners due to their language backgrounds Literatur review Language situation in Lesotho In order to understand the motive behind undertaking of a study such as this one, it is crucial to at least outline the prevailing language situation in Lesotho. According to Kula (2004, pp. 1-2), Sesotho is the major language spoken in Lesotho. It has estimated speakers of about 85%. With independence in 1966, both Sesotho and English were made official languages by legislation. Today Sesotho, with the majority of speakers, remains the national and first official language with English as the second official language. Despite being the second official language, English remains a prominent language at all strategic and planning in particular, education (MoET, 2009). In education, Sesotho is used as a medium of instruction for learners from all the different national language backgrounds from grades 1 to 3 after which it remains the only local language taught as a subject at secondary school level and that may also be studied as a specialisation at institutions of higher learning such as the National University of Lesotho and the Lesotho College of Education. The practice is despite the CAP’s clear stipulation that a child’s mother tongue shall be the language of teaching and learning presumably of assessment as well during the first three foundational years (MoET, 2009, p. 8). As it reads, the policy is unquestionably inclusive and responsive to the linguistic situation of Lesotho. It provides for children from minority languages’ backgrounds to be taught in their 379 Vol. 4, No. 3, 2020 International Journal of Language Education mother tongue for the first three years of schooling as this will, similarly to their schoolmates from a Sesotho-speaking background, benefit from a fair chance of gradually adjusting to English as a medium of instruction, and Sesotho as just another language and subject. So, the policy was meant to “ensure access, quality, equity and relevance in the educational sector” (MoET, 2009, p. 1). Foundational level as spelt out in Raselimo & Mahao (2015) is geared towards creating the basic foundation for secondary, technical, vocational education and lifelong learning (Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, 1982). Should Lesotho disregard existence of minority languages as mother tongue to other Basotho, this means that learners whose mother tongue is either siXhosa, Ndebele or siPhuthi are mistakenly taught and assessed in Sesotho as a mother tongue yet it is a language which is foreign to them, hence their educational development is disadvantaged. This is evidenced by Christopher’s (2008) argument that the best first language education provides a rich foundation that a learner can use to acquire a second language or even perform well in other subjects. She further states that the literacy skills that are already developed in the first language would enhance easy transition to the second language medium education. The situation in Lesotho does not seem to acknowledge this claim since minority languages are excluded in the school curriculum. Gacheche (2010, p. 3) shares the same sentiments with Christopher that education should be tailored such that it is delivered in the learners’ mother tongue in the foundation grades for “people learn best when they are taught in a language they understand well.” Christopher further mentions that Effort should be made to discountenance the growing perception that local languages are inadequate for education. If mother tongue education is given sufficient attention, the product of basic education could be empowered and sufficiently equipped in at least one language to participate in political, social and economic development in society (Christopher, 2008, p. 207). The present study notes that none of the minority languages in Lesotho is used as a medium of instruction and assessment for students. That is, not only is teaching in Sesotho, but setting and writing of examinations as well. This paper advances an argumentation here that Sesotho is the language that speaks to only a part of the Basotho nation. What happens to the rest of the nation? Matsoso (2001), Kometsi (2014) and MoET (2019) aver that Lesotho is not as monolingual and mono-cultural as often thought. The authors make reference to areas in Lesotho which are significantly populated by Basotho who come from Nguni language-speaking backgrounds and have continued to live their ethnicity language and culture since King Moshoeshoe I’s creation of Basotho as a nation of diverse ethnic linguistic and
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