Africa-Press – Botswana. Teaching pupils in their mother tongue will enhance learning and encourage preservation of culture and traditions, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.
Speaking during tour of Letswai Primary School in Zutshwa on July 20 , President Masisi said using mother tongue as a medium of learning in primary schools would preserve local languages as well as music and folklore.
Dr Masisi who was in the village to launch the National Mindset Change campaign, urged the Zutshwa community to write down their music and traditions in their Shekgalagari language.
Letswai Primary School head Ms Phatsimo Keagile said the school had enrolment of 152 pupils and 10 teachers.
Ms Keagile told President Masisi that the academic performance of pupils was encouraging.
“We used to attain poor results in the past but we have now improved through team work and collaboration with different stakeholders. Last year we achieved 75 per cent pass rate and we are now targeting 85 per cent pass rate this year,” she said.
She said the school was one of the pilot schools for reception classes in 2015.
Ms Keagile further said the school started teaching using mother tongue for reception class up to standard two pupils at the beginning of this year.
The school started with the Shekgalagari, which is the dominant language in the village.
She said phase two would entail the use of Sesarwa language as teaching medium.
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