Kenyan pupils to be Chinese pioneers

Under an ambitious plan, The country plans to lead the way in Mandarin instruction in the continent

Kenya hopes to be the first African country to introduce Chinese language in public elementary schools.

If fully implemented, the optional program eventually could benefit up to 29,404 public schools, based on the 2014 school census. Up to about 11.8 million learners could interact with the language if introduced at entry levels and phased in at all primary and secondary schools.

Students of Moi University in Kenya talk in Mandarin with Chinese journalists on the opening day of the Confucius Institute in March. Photos provided to China Daily

Support for the program has been strong in the educational community and among students and parents, and plans call for implementation starting in 2017.

But problems with resources, such as a lack of curriculum developers for Mandarin courses, have impeded progress and could push back countrywide implementation by one year, officials say. Even then, a shortage of funds may make the rollout uneven, especially at first.

It would be a massive undertaking for any country. In Kenya, while four foreign languages are offered as optional courses, none of them are offered in public primary schools.

Kenya is asking China to pick up the $4.2 million estimated cost of program development through the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, a government agency known as Hanban, which runs Confucius Institutes and classrooms worldwide.

The Kenyan project was initially proposed in 2012 by a task force commissioned by the Ministry of Education on realignment of the education sector in accordance with the new national constitution. It recommended teaching the language to enhance global competitiveness.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has spent $65,000 on a needs assessment and policy formulation. The state agency is tasked with the development, approval and assessment of the syllabus jointly with Kenyatta University, based in Nairobi. The study investigated the relevance of the subject, opportunities, level of introduction and resources required for teaching and learning the language. Teaching methods and challenges were considered.

A sizable majority of the school heads, teachers and learners polled in primary and secondary schools said they were in favor of the idea. Field education officers and parents also supported the proposal, with many saying that globalization had created the need to learn Chinese language and culture.

The sample size was a minimum of 455 respondents and the poll encompassed 89 schools, 79 parents and 16 field education officers.

Most of the respondents said the language would expose learners to employment opportunities in tourism research, interpretation and cultural studies.

"Students who have knowledge of Chinese language are likely to increase their employment prospects, particularly as more companies and organizations develop links and relationships with China," the needs assessment report states.

"The proposal received 85 percent approval from Kenyans," says Julius Jwan, director and chief executive of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Efforts are therefore being made, he said, to ensure its successful implementation.

The syllabus development process has, however, encountered challenges. There are no Chinese-language curriculum developers in the country. "We also need support in terms of materials and teaching infrastructure," Jwan says, noting that the implementation across the whole country may be delayed until 2018.

"What is critical is that it is optional. This means that only the schools that are able to provide teachers and books will teach the language."

Now only a number of private primary schools run foreign language classes. Most public schools introduce the language classes at secondary levels and not all provide that. Mandarin is currently offered in a few public schools as an after-school program.

"They need well-trained teachers. Schools that are well endowed can pay teachers and provide books and sometimes audio and visual support aides to be able to implement the classes," Jwan says.

Teachers in Kenya are employed by the Teachers Service Commission, a government agency. "This depends on the number of qualified language teachers available and allocated budget," says Jwan.

The commission says the total number of teachers in employment is 278,000. Among them 200,000 are in primary schools and the rest are in secondary schools. There is also an annual deficit of 100,000 teachers.

Since Kenya has about 30,000 schools, full implementation of the Mandarin program would require about 30,000 additional teachers, experts say. With the salary of a new teacher being about $290 a month, just providing teachers would cost $8.7 million per month, not including the cost of instructional materials.

"However, our mandate is to develop the course content and advise the government on the number of teachers and lesson hours needed for the provision of the lesson," Jwan says. Foreign languages are allocated two hours weekly.

Guo Hong, the director of the Confucius Institute at the university, agrees that there is a growing demand for Chinese speakers in the country, especially from business. This may be Chinese firms locally established or indigenous firms interacting with Chinese companies. A regional five-star hotel and a bank have engaged the institute's services and have a total of 30 personnel learning the language.

Ten years ago the institute offered short courses to university students and businesses. The classes currently have a total of 50 students. In 2009, degree programs were launched and more than 20 students have graduated. The classes now have about 20-30 students.

Guo says her staff, consisting of two regular teachers, is ready to offer consulting services in curriculum development. They are also engaging with the University of Nairobi College of Education and External Studies to develop teachers in Chinese language.

"Teachers are very important and for the program to be successful, local teachers are needed. It may be a little difficult to import Chinese teachers to cover all schools," she says.

In 2013, the university entered into an agreement with Tianjin Normal University to train students undertaking master's degrees in teaching Chinese language.

"We are expecting seven students this year," Guo says, adding that the graduates will teach in local schools for at least five years.

There are plans to launch a Chinese teaching center at the university. Winston Akala, the dean of the School of Education at the University of Nairobi, says that plans are at an advanced stage to develop qualified teachers.

"We are aggressively recruiting students and sourcing for funds to support them," he says.

Five students from the school have gone to China this year to learn how to teach Mandarin.

But as the university moves into high gear in developing teachers to support the program, Akala says, he is unsure about the level at which the lessons will be introduced in primary and secondary schools.

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/20/2015 page8)