The exclusion of ethnic and other minority language nationals within the Lesotho educational system is a cause for concern. In the case of Lesotho, even though language policy as articulated in Curriculum and Assessment Policy (CAP) stipulates that mother tongue shall be used as a medium of instruction from Grade 1-3, it does not clarify as to which and whose mother tongue language. It is against this backdrop that the exclusion of ethnic and other minority language nationals in Lesotho education context is explored in this article. Qualitative research methodology was adopted for this study. This study unpacks the policy and how its implementation is difficult due to its exclusion of minority languages. The researchers used a case study research design to critically analyse the contents of Lesotho's language policy. The theoretical framework for this research predominantly draws on social constructionism, inclusive education and translanguaging. The study purposely selected four documents being CAP, Education Sector Strategic Plans of 2005-2015 and 2016-2026 and UNICEF 2016 document for analysis. A content analysis approach was used to analyse the data. The study reveals that in the context of Lesotho, ethnic and other minority language nationals are excluded in education. The education system of Lesotho is, therefore, exclusionist. It is recommended that there should be an ideal language policy to bridge the gap between home and school language(s).

KEY WORDS: Curriculum and Assessment Policy, ethnicity, Language policy, minority group, translanguaging, inclusive education

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Language is a vehicle for access to information and knowledge. It, therefore, has a crucial role in education in that, command of it translated to teaching and learning is not only key to classroom communication but also to pupils' acquisition of knowledge. It has shown that types of education based on mother tongue significantly increase the chances of educational success and give better results (Charamba, 2020).

It is essential to indicate that each nation is expected to have its own language policy. This is significant because in language policy, governments can either include or exclude ethnic and other minority language nationals. It is through the language policy that the government of a certain state is at liberty to give one or more languages power over the others. In Slovenia for instance, about the integration of immigrants and their descendants, society's attention, and often that of the immigrants themselves, is directed mainly towards mastering the language of the host country (Bester & Medvešek, 2015). This, however, shows that regardless of how paramount language is in a society, little attention is paid to the learning and development of ethnic and other minority group languages.

In the study conducted in Nigeria, Ndimele (2012) discovered that there is no robust and well-articulated language planning framework in the country but only a language provision of the National Policy on Education. This reinforces the operation of language in education planning process, which unfortunately does not guarantee or strengthen literacy in the indigenous languages especially the so-called minority languages of Nigeria. Similarly, Viriri (2003) maintains that every language represents a special way of viewing human experience and the world itself. Where minority languages are overwhelmed by "big" languages, it is only through well-articulated language policy and planning that can arrest eminent crisis of extinction of the minority languages. Homogeneously, Mensah and Offiong (2004) uphold that the training of the mind in the understanding of the world around is best done and realised in the languages in which the students are more familiar. These then, show that there is a need for inclusion of ethnic and other minority group languages in education through well-pronounced language policies.

Lesotho is not an exception in that the 1993 Constitution of Lesotho shows that there are only two official languages mainly English and Sesotho. The Constitution of Lesotho, however, is silent about other languages present in the country such as Ndebele, isiXhosa and Phuthi to mention but a few. Apart from this, MoET (2009) stipulates that mother tongue shall be used as a medium of instruction in primary education from Grade 1 to 3, but it does not specify as to which and whose mother tongue. Correspondingly, MoET (2005) in its document of Education Sector Strategic Plan for 2005-2015 shows position of the state on language and education. It is mentioned in the plan that a baseline assessment of Grade 3 and Grade 6 students in 2003 was carried out and the Grade 6 levels of achievement for Sesotho and English were 58 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

As articulated in the plan, children from minority language communities indicated that the Ministry promised to produce and procure materials for children of minorities such as Xhosa, Ndebele, Baphuthi and Batlokoa to enable them better access to existing knowledge using their main language of communication (UNICEF, 2016). It is against this backdrop that we acknowledge in this article that the inclusion of ethnic and other minority language nationals in Lesotho education is a cause for concern.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Marginalization of ethnic minority languages is universal. This concern forced vast nations to address it. Van Dyken's (1990) study advocates that for decades in many African countries, pragmatism and politics have dictated that the choice of languages for literacy and primary education should be the colonial languages being French, English or Portuguese. In some settings, certain African languages of wider communication have been selected, including Swahili in Kenya and Tanzania and Hausa in Nigeria. However, for most African languages, educational materials have never been developed in terms of which languages take priority in educational system.

 

1. Explain what characteristics make the study and research methods used quantitative.