SOCIOLOLINGUISTIC SURVEYS - Centre for Language Studies

learning materials exist in Chisena, 81.2% of the respondents said none exists whilst
18.2% claimed that the materials exist. The Chisena Bible was the only example cited
The respondents were also asked to name the variety which they deemed the most
appropriate for teaching purposes. The Chikwawa variety (43.8%) was considered the
most appropriate, followed by the Nsanje variety (31.8%) and Marka variety 12.5%.
Another 12.5% were undecided.
6.5.3.1 DISCUSSION
It should be pointed out from the outset like it was in the Chilomwe survey that the
number of respondents in this section is comparatively smaller than that of other
categories of respondents. The reason for this is simple. As mentioned earlier on, the
survey was undertaken during the school holidays and although a number of schools were
visited it was not possible to interview a greater and perhaps more representative number.
The findings, however, do not deviate in any significant ways from those of the earlier
surveys.
The initial observation to be made here is that an ovewhelming majority of teachers
(93.8%) speak Chisena which is contrary to what has been observed in the Chilomwe
survey. But more importantly, the teachers’ also speak Chichewa and English. This
reflects not only their education and professional training but also the bilingual nature of
the society they live in. The implication for this is that the importance of Chichewa and
of course, English should not be undermined by the introduction of mother tongue
instruction. After all there is already a cadre of teachers trained in these languages.
Another important factor the responses reveal is the positive attitude teachers have
towards Chisena. 87.5% of them indicated that they were not embarrassed to speak
Chisena. This is a crucial finding because if a mother tongue has to be introduced as a
medium of instruction or a subject, it is imperative that the potential providers of the
service have a positive attitude towards the language. Furthermore, it has been observed
that 87.5% of the teachers would at least in principle, accept the introduction of Chisena
in schools. Success of the mother tongue instruction would partly depend on the
acceptance of such a policy by the teachers themselves. The acceptance of Chisena is
strengthened further by the 75% of the teachers who indicated a willingness to accept it
as amedium of instruction.
Finally, it is clear from the responses above that since the teachers were trained in Eglish
and Chichewa, if the mother tongue education policy is to succeed, then the teaching and
learning materials should be prepared in tandem with the training of teachers.
104