Tharaka University Hosts A Forum On Use Of A Local Language In Teaching Young Learners
Last week, Tharaka University held a forum to discuss the status and challenges facing the teaching of Kîîtharaka as an indigenous language and its use in the wider community.
According to KICD guidelines on Competency-Based Education, Kîîtharaka, being a language of the catchment for many local schools in Tharaka area is supposed to be used as a medium of instruction in lower grades of schooling (PP1—Grade 3).
The forum involved some elders and members of Kambugumo CBO. The discussions and round-tables involved the activities of the CBO, the place of Kîîtharaka in the Development of our society, policy, and language use, and the future of Kîîtharaka in the next 50 years.
The event was organized by Dr. Patrick Kanampiu, an assistant lecturer in English and Linguistics, and Prof. Veronica Nyaga, PhD, Deputy Vice-Chancellor—Academic, Research, and Student Affairs in absentia, who are co-investigators in an ongoing research project aimed at investigating the context and attitudes around the teaching and use of Kîîtharaka language in local schools and the community at large.
This ongoing study is a collaborative project between Tharaka University and the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom). The other co-investigators include Dr. Alexander Martin, University of Groningen (Netherlands), Prof. Vicky Chondrogianni (University of Edinburgh), and Jennifer Culbertson (University of Edinburgh). The research project is funded by a 2024/2025 partnership fund grant from the University of Edinburgh (supported by the Scottish Funding Council ISPF grant).
Dr. Mwembu Kimathi, CoD Humanities, Dr. Alex Muthengi, Director of Research Extension and Publication, CPA Elijah Karonco-Ag, Deputy Finance Officer, and Mr. Phineas Nyamari, a research assistant, were present during the forum.
Text and Photos, courtesy of Tharaka University
Some Of The Moments As Captured In Pictures
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