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| Among the approved O-level subjects examined by the National Examinal Board is dhopadhola |
By Gabriel Obbo-Katandi
Padhola through the leadership of His Highness Kwar Adhola has embraced the government's White Paper of 1992, that introduces policies that aim to eradicate literacy and emphasizes teaching nursery and lower primary pupils, in a language they are familiar with - preferablily their mother language.
The main emphasis of the curriculum developed then was the development of learners' skill in numeracy, literary and life skills. All these were thought better done in a language that the learners are familiar with. In case of Jopadhola children in Padhola, this was dhopadhola
To meet the requirements of the Ministry of the Education and Sport then, Kwar Adhola and The Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI) introduced a ministry of Dhopadhola Development and a language Board.
The Dhopadhola Language Board developed dhopadhola authography which was accepted by Ministry of Education and Sport after the approval process by National Curriculum Development Centre in Kyambogo.
The completion of this stage enabled the official acceptance of the dhopadhola language to be used as medium of instruction in nursery and lower primary (P-3) in all dhopadhola speaking areas
That stage also allowed Dhopadhola to be taught in Padhola as a subject.
Dhopadhola is now asubject from Primary 4 though to Primary 7. The development of Dhopadhola Authography has enabled it to be taught as one of the elective subjects at lower secondary education in Uganda.
At O-level, among the National Curriculum approved subjects is dhopadhola and indeed at the National Examinal Board, and we have had several candidates at the level in the past few years.
Makerere University the school of linguistics offers dhopadhola as one the languages of study among the Luo languages. We now have candidates who are taking Dhopadhola as a language of study for Doctorate of philosophy PhD.
These achievements have come with a number of challenges.
At the district of Tororo headquarters, where the Language Board for Dhopadhola is supposed to operate from, there has been very little support realised.
Despite the existance of authograph many people have not adopted it's use. This is common even among those who attempt to write dhopadhola books
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| Archbishop Obbo hands Museveni a bible Although the churches (Christians) have the Holy Bible in dhopadhola, they need to have a deliberate effort to help their institutions to use correct dhopadhola in spoken and written from |
Many people speak very poor dhopadhola. These may be common because schools for over 50 years have not put much interest in ensuring proper dhopadhola is spoken and written. The situation of dhopadhola at family and community is probabily even worse.
Because of lack of resources, not many activities have occured to develop dhopadhola beyond the approval process and the use of dhopadhola in educational institutions.
Although the churches (Christians) have the Holy Bible in dhopadhola, they need to have a deliberate effort to help their institutions to use correct dhopadhola in spoken and written from.
Probabily you and me are waiting for occasion when the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution will fully adopt and adopt to the use of dhopadhola since it is the institutions official language.
Use of Dhopadhola in school was also done with inadequate preparations for teachers. Therefore Dhopadhola as a subject does not have firm custodians in the educational institutions.
We badly need resources to support the growth of correct dhopadhola among our people.
It is a strong hope that with help of the new radio station, the coming television together with increased activities among the Jopadhola, we shall over come some of these challege.
With the help of God Almighty and adequate seriousness from all the people of Padhola, we always hope for the best.
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Hon. Gabriel Obbo-Katandi is Minister for Dhopadhola Development Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution.
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