THE ROLE OF EDUCATORS IN THE CHALLENGES OF MOTHER TONGUE EDUCATION IN NANDI COUNTY
Authors: David Kiprono Cheruiyot
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17434718
Published: April 2025
Abstract
<p><em>This study examined the teacher as a contributory factor in the failure of Mother Tongue Policy implementation in Nandi County, Kenya. While teachers and other stakeholders have been blamed for the lackadaisical approach to Mother Tongue Education in Kenya, no in-depth study had verified these claims. Guided by Butzkam’s Mother Tongue Theory, the study adopted a descriptive research design. A purposive sample of 20 head teachers, 20 lower primary school teachers, and 5 officials from the Nandi County Education Office was used to generate research data. Structured questionnaires and interview schedules were employed, and data were analyzed qualitatively. Findings revealed that most ECDE centers in Nandi County did not use the mother tongue as the Language of Instruction (LOI), instead relying on English or Kiswahili in lower classes. Teacher attitudes were identified as a barrier to implementing mother tongue education, and many teachers were found ill-prepared to teach in the mother tongue. The results of this study are expected to benefit the Ministry of Education, teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders in language education, and may also be useful to international bodies such as UNICEF and UNESCO for reporting, data comparison, and developing educational innovations</em></p>
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