Abstract
Background: Over the years, the majority of the Basotho nation and many countries have known Lesotho as a country which has Sesotho and English as the only spoken languages and as medium of instruction in schools. Whereas, in reality, Lesotho has many spoken languages. Many tribes have their own spoken languages which, hitherto, have not been considered in the education sector of Lesotho.Aim: This article aimed to demonstrate the Lesotho Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy in teaching pre-reading skills.Setting: This study was conducted in Lesotho at three different schools. Three Grade R teachers were chosen and studied in their respective classrooms.Methods: Employing qualitative research methods in this study, the multiple case study research design was used to explore the reality of classroom teaching practices. Document analysis, non-participatory classroom observation and semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis were employed to generate data.Results: Teachers in early childhood education (ECE) do not implement medium of instruction policy appropriately because they are not well-informed about it.Conclusion: Grade R teachers are willing to operationalise the mother-tongue-instruction policy effectively, even though they do not have adequate knowledge of the policy.
Highlights
Implementing mother-tongue-instruction policy in early childhood education (ECE) (0–8 years) in schools is encouraged in many countries across the globe, such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Ghana, South Africa and Lesotho (Alieto 2019; Brock-Utne 2012; Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training [MOET] 2013a; Mashiya 2011;Navarro et al 2016), even though it poses many challenges for the teachers because many countries have more than one spoken language (Bongco & David 2020)
This study found that the Integrated Early Childhood Care and Development (IECCD) policy announces that the medium of instruction in the early childhood centres should be the learners’ mother tongue (Lesotho MOET 2013a)
Sesotho is regarded as the home languages (HLs) that is used in all IECCD services because the majority of the population of Lesotho is Basotho and the dominant language of the minority groups (Lesotho MOET 2013a)
Summary
The majority of the Basotho nation and many countries have known Lesotho as a country which has Sesotho and English as the only spoken languages and as medium of instruction in schools. In reality, Lesotho has many spoken languages. Many tribes have their own spoken languages which, hitherto, have not been considered in the education sector of Lesotho. Aim: This article aimed to demonstrate the Lesotho Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy in teaching pre-reading skills. Setting: This study was conducted in Lesotho at three different schools. Three Grade R teachers were chosen and studied in their respective classrooms
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