The East African Kiswahili Commission ( EAKC) Meeting Report

Themes: 1. KISWAHILI STAFF AND STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME WITHIN EAC PARTNER STATES

2. EAKC/DAAD UNIVERSITY KISWAHILI CURRICULUM REFORM, CHANGE AND INNOVATION

Venue: The meeting was held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Nairobi, KENYA

Time:  20^th -22^nd June 2016

The meeting was attended by heads of Kiswahili departments, Kiswahili lecturers,  and Kiswahili stakeholders from different universities of EAC PARTNER STATES : Burundi ,Kenya, Rwanda , Tanzania and Uganda. The meeting was  chaired by  the EXECUTIVE Secretary of East African Kiswahili Commission Prof. Kenneth Inyani  Simala.

On the first day,  the meeting discussed  the following topic

• East African Kiswahili Commission and kiswahili Education in East African Universities: An examination of the EAKC Protocol
• Staff/ Student exchange Programme vision and Objectives
• Establishment of National & East African Associations OF University Departments of Kiswahili

Different points of views were given on the way the EAKC PROTOCOL can be revised and updated in order to allow EAKC to promote KISWAHILI LANGUAGE IN EAC PARTNER STASTES, especially in their education systems. On the second topic, participants raised different pedagogical problems caused by insufficient and unqualified Kiswahili teachers in EAC PARTNER STATES, ESPECIALL IN RWANDA, BURUNDI AND UGANDA. KISWAHILI IS NOT WEEL TAUGHT BECAUSE OF LACK OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND INSUFFICIENT TEACHING MATERIALS. The meeting elected the National and EAC association members.

RECOMMENDATION

• All UNIVERSITIES OF EAC PARTNER STATES SHOULD HAVE A KISWAHILI DEPARTMENT
• EAKC WILL FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF KISWAHILI LECTURERS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE KISWAHILI TEACHING IN DIFFERENT EAC UNIVERSITIES
• EAKC WILL ALSO FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF KISWALI STUDENTS IN DIFFERENT UNIVERSITIES OF THE EAC PARTNER STATES
• ALL NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS WILL IMMEDAITELY START WORKING  AND ESTABLISH LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS OF HEAD OF DEPARTMENTS
• NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS WERE ELECTED WITH A TEAM OF THREE PEOPLE INCLUDING CHAIRPERSON, SECRETARY AND TREASURER

For Rwanda the following were elected

Chairperson:  Dr Patrice NTAWIGIRA

Secretary: Prof Malonga Pacifique

Treasurer:  Mr Ntawiyanga Sylvain

At the EAKC level the following were elected

Chairperson: Prof Mhochi (Kenya)

V/Chairperson: Prof Nshimiyimana Dorothee (Burundi)

Secretary:  Mr Willy Migodela (Tanzania)

Treasurer: Dr IDA (Uganda)

Sensitization Secretary: Prof Malonga (Rwanda)

Concerning the second theme EAKC/DAAD UNIVERSITY KISWAHILI CURRICULUM REFORM, CHANGE AND INNOVATION, different problems and obstacles in teaching Kiswahili, programmes  in different universities of EAC . Different strategies to overcome and promote Kiswahili in higher learning institutions were recommended:

• Good collaboration between all universities of the EAC partner states
• Establishment of Kiswahili Councils in EAC partner States
• Collaboration with foreign universities ( Beyond EAC PARTNER STATES) and EAC universities in teaching Kiswahili
• Harmonisation of Kiswahili programmes in all EAC PARTNER STATES
• Establish a Kiswahili campus at the head office or elsewhere
• Run a website which will facilitate the teaching of Kiswahili in EAC
• Organize Kiswahili competitions among all levels of students in EAC PARTNER STATES
• Conduct different researches on the use and development of Kiswahili in Partner States.

Please send your abstracts to:

Chaukidu2016nairobiconference@gmail.com or contact Prof. MALONGA for details at becos1@yahoo.fr

Prof Malonga Pacifique and Dr Patrice Nawigira