Gambia To Start Teaching In Local Languages At Nursery And Primary Schools

Press release

For years, the use of English as the medium of instruction for early-grade learners in Early Childhood Development ECD (nursery schools) and Grades 1 to 3 in Lower Basic Schools, has posed a significant learning barrier.

Many children struggle to understand classroom instructions, read and write in English. The reason is simple: they grow up in homes and communities where English is not spoken.

To address this challenge, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) is rolling out a Structured Pedagogy Foundational Learning Programme across all public Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres and Lower Basic Schools with support from Learning Masterminds, a Ghana based Non-Governmental Organisation with expertise in improving foundational literacy and numeracy using structured pedagogy approaches.

The programme aims to improve foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes for early-grade learners by using seven national languages: Mandinka, Pulaar, Wollof, Manjaku, Serer, Jola and Sarahule. Under the new approach, children will be taught in a language they understand best, making learning more meaningful, inclusive and effective.

The Foundational Learning Programme is expected to significantly boost learners’ skills in letter recognition, sounding and blending, reading, writing and basic numeracy by the end of Grade 3.