LITERESI BILENG AVANSE - boukie banane

REWINDING HISTORY
OR DELAYING TACTICS IN LIEU OF IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
In a normal and healthy situation, language planning starts with research and education which
involve inter alia seminars, forums, debates etc. This is followed by decision making. The next step is
practical and technical work by experts and appropriate professionals who look into the nitty-gritty
and this should prepare, monitor and accompany implementation.
But what do we do in the Great Republic of Mauritius? The body politic has decided that Mauritian
Creole (MC) will be introduced as an ancestral/optional language in primary classes and instead of
appointing a high-powered committee to look into the nitty-gritty and plan implementation, the
ministry in charge decides to organise a forum.
Is there a hidden agenda to sidetrack interest from relevant issues and send people on a wild goose
chase?
About 45 years ago rigorous scientific work on MC started. Since August 1967 to date there have
been regular forums, conferences, workshops etc. on MC and language planning. MC has become
the dominant language medium on stage; the literary corpus in MC is quite impressive; MC is used
as medium in PREVOKBEK classes. MC is now the first language of 80% of the population and is the
second language of the remaining 20%. There are several descriptions of the phonology and syntax
(grammar) of MC; pedagogical material for teacher training and learner literacy have already been
produced; readers for lower and upper primary are all but ready etc. etc.
Why does the minister want to put the clock back, to rewind history? Is it to allow the ultraconservatives
to stop the march of history, pour confusion in the minds of people and generate
chaos to delay implementation?
THE WAY FORWARD
What we need is a clear implementation programme for MC. Let me repeat what I said before: the
resource persons for this task are not found in the civil service or in parastatal organisations. They
are found elsewhere and the minister, instead of making a fool of himself by trying to reinvent the
wheel, would be well-advised to seek the assistance and know-how of these Mauritians who have
during several decades produced material which today are invaluable to start the ball rolling.
1. Special teacher training programmes are needed to prepare teachers for the task of teaching kids
to read and write their mother tongue MC.
2. Readers must be printed to promote mother tongue reading and writing. Several texts are ready.
3. Literacy in MC should be taught in such a way that a bridge is built to lead to a genuine
bilingualism involving MC and English, another Creole language. A list of about 3,000 words has
already been identified to support grammar-translation pedagogy.
4. A bilingual dictionary (MC/English; English/MC) for primary school children must be prepared and
printed. That can be quickly done as there are people like Vinesh Hookoomsing and Arnaud
Carpooran with the necessary expertise.
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