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Mother Tongue

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The Mother Tongue

The use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction at the primary level improves the learning ability and school performance of students because it facilitates easier and faster comprehension, encourages better interaction and class participation and strengthens self-concept and identity.
The mother tongue is a language that a person has learned from birth or is most familiar with (Witold, 2005). Several studies have confirmed that using it as a form of instruction at the primary level helps the students cope well with their school lessons and activities. It provides the students with a wider range of vocabulary which is a critical tool in learning various subjects. It enables them to easily and clearly grab the course content because they do not have to decipher an unfamiliar language in the first place. At the same time, using a familiar language makes conversation between students and teachers more spontaneous. Learning the mother tongue also reinforce among the children their own culture and traditions.
In response to the growing need for providing schoolchildren in all areas of society a medium of instruction that will better equip them in acquiring knowledge, the mother tongue education is currently being adapted in several countries. Research studies suggested that students under the mother tongue education projects had better grades or higher academic performance. Being better students, they contribute significantly in uplifting the sector of education.
Using a familiar language in a formal school actually liberates the students from the pressure of undergoing school works and activities in a language that is not fully understood. They have a hard time expressing themselves thus, discouraging class participation. Moreover, this is coupled with punishment for not using the required language. Many schools carry out this punishment

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