By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
The Parliament of Uganda will start conducting it’s sittings in Kiswahili language, Parrots Media has learned.
This has been revealed by the first deputy prime minister and the minister of East African Affairs, Hon. Rabbecca Alitwala Kadaga who said that cabinet has been training members on Kiswahili basics since November last year.
“Cabinet is already taking efforts and it started last year in November and everybody is given one hour Kiswahili lessons. I think by December we shall be able to conduct cabinet meetings in Kiswahili,” she said.
Kadaga was addressing journalists at the ministry of East African Affairs, Kingdom Kampala on Friday (June 30) on the forthcoming celebrations of the World Kiswahili Language Day in the East African Community scheduled for July 6th, 2023 at Hotel Africana, Kampala.
She added that the ministry is in advanced stages to make Kiswahili language compulsory at all levels of education starting from primary to the university levels.
Teachers’ Scarcity
The first deputy prime minister also noted that the ministry will in collaboration with the ministry of education and sports carryout a nationwide census of all Kiswahili teachers to ease the recruitment exercise and resolve the problem of teachers Scarcity. She however, boasted of large numbers of teachers able to teach Kiswahili language at primary levels.
World Kiswahili Day
The World Kiswahili Language Day is the second event of it’s kind after the first event was held in Zimbabwe last year. Uganda will host the second celebrations at Hotel Africana Kampala on July 5 under the theme; “Kiswahili and Multilinguism: Achieving More Together.”
The celebrations will bring together different stakeholders from the seven partner states of the EAC, National Organizing Committee which includes government ministries and departments, academia, private sector, researchers, practitioners, teachers, students among others.
Several events such as media briefing, radio talk shows, youth dialogues and Kiswahili presentations will be among the activities of the day.
Kadaga also disclosed that there will be recognition and award of commemorative medals for Kiswahili to be decided by the member states.
