The senators called on the Ministry of Education to allocate more hours to Kinyarwanda lessons in schools to help preserve and promote the language.
This happened earlier this week during a presentation of the government’s activities in basic education as part of the National Transformation Strategy (NST1) in both houses of Parliament.
Among the issues raised was that the Kinyarwanda language could disappear.
Senator Emmanuel Hawugimana has called for more efforts to speak Kinyarwanda accurately, condemning those who speak and write the language incorrectly.
“I hear many people speaking Kinyarwanda incorrectly and these are educated people who should give value to Kinyarwanda and influence people to speak Kinyarwanda perfectly without mistakes. The Ministry of Education should look into this and make sure that children also learn Kinyarwanda,” he said.
Jean-Baptiste Manirakiza, director of the language center at the Independent University of Kigali, recommended that Kinyarwanda be taught not only in primary and secondary schools, but also in universities.
“There are many factors that contribute to the development of the language, for example, many people think that speaking Kinyarwanda is very cheap and uncivilized. If the mindset changes, it can develop our language and give it value,” he said.
Prime Minister Edward Ngirente said there is a need to balance all languages in schools, explaining that children can continue to learn in English as it is the international language of education, but also that Kinyarwanda must be taught widely and thoroughly in schools.
“Learning English in schools has produced great results, but that does not mean that Kinyarwanda should be excluded from schools, we must make sure that Kinyarwanda is still taught in schools and also make sure that children learn it effectively “, he said.
The role of parents
Jerome Kajuga, Director of Culture, Social Sciences and Humanities at the Rwanda National Commission for UNESCO, said that in order for Kinyarwanda not to die out, every Rwandan must promote the language.
“The greatest effort comes from the roots, which is family. Parents are the ones who determine whether their children will speak Kinyarwanda, write well and use it correctly and that only comes from how they value Kinyarwanda at home and the effort they put in,” he said.
He also drew attention to schools, noting that if Kinyarwanda is taught for more hours, taught well, and teachers make efforts to make students understand the importance of their language, then students will not write or write Kinyarwanda incorrectly. the way
Kazhuga also called on journalists, saying they have a role to play, seeing that they reach a larger audience and have an impact.
“The more they try to use Kinyarwanda and make sure they use it well, the more people will realize that other languages are not superior to Kinyarwanda.”
He recommends that school officials find ways to teach all languages without excluding or forcing children to speak Kinyarwanda.
Kinyarwanda is the national language of Rwanda and the native language of almost the entire population of the country. It is one of the official languages of the country along with French, English and Swahili.
