Bridging Programme

Context and Issue

In recent years, the education system in Uganda's refugee response sites has garnered considerable attention, offering various learning support programs. However, a significant challenge persists the lack of effective communication between teachers and students due to language barriers. This obstacle, evident in classrooms, hampers learning success and presents a fundamental issue. Teachers often struggle to bridge this gap by attempting to use a common African language or resorting to English-only instruction, which proves difficult for both students and educators. Despite efforts to employ language assistants, the desired outcomes have not been achieved, making effective education an uphill task. This language mismatch mainly affects reading skills, as meaningful reading comprehension relies on language proficiency. Since instruction is primarily in English, refugee learners often lack the necessary language skills for successful reading development.

Solution

The primary focus of the Bridging Programme will be to develop oral English language skills in children, enabling effective communication with teachers and facilitating further learning in English. The curriculum will align with the national English language standards for primary grades, supplemented with essential school-related vocabulary. Once proficiency in the oral language is established, English literacy instruction will follow. Additionally, African-language reading and writing will be conducted in select languages based on the children's fluency, aiming to minimize ethnic divisions. The reading curriculum will emphasize basic literacy skills such as letter, syllable, and word recognition and comprehension. This component will adopt a nonformal literacy approach rather than closely following the national curriculum. Mathematics instruction will be delivered in English to enhance student's math skills and introduce academic English vocabulary in a familiar context. The curriculum materials will be based on the national primary-grade mathematics standards.

Insights

Endorsement for using local languages in education is more noticeable within refugee communities than in conventional educational environments. Studies in Africa suggest incorporating local language literacy initiatives can significantly contribute to community-driven development initiatives.

Refugee students and their parents have clear views on the challenges associated with language barriers in education. They express immediate, practical concerns, believing that difficulties in classroom communication hinder the progress of refugee learners.