As programme leaders interact with people, they can also share information about the benefits of MTB MLE. Research, along with awareness raising and mobilization, should continue as the programme expands to additional communities.
Awareness raising and mobilization
Some local education officials( and some parents) may think that, in order to become fluent in the official school language, children need to start learning it as soon as possible and use it as much as possible. They are afraid that any time spent using the children’ s MT in school means less time, and even less success, in learning the official school language. This is what happened in Liberia:
The importance of good information
During a meeting with the school authorities, one of the teachers informed us that even though they had completed two MTB MLE training workshops, the school principal refused to accept the programme in their school. According to the teacher, the principal told them,” We are trying to take the children from darkness and you want us to take them back? Such a programme cannot be allowed in the school.”
Later, one of the local authorities told the MTB MLE supervisors,“ If we had fully understood the essence of this programme, we would have prevailed on the principal to allow the programme to start in the school because it is good for our children.” 2
The purpose of awareness raising and mobilization is to share information about MTB MLE and encourage people to take an active part in implementing and supporting an MTB MLE programme for their children.
Here are a few examples of activities 3 that programme leaders can use to raise awareness and mobilize their community:
••
Make colorful posters that provide information about MTB MLE and put them in places around the community where many people will see and read them.
••
Encourage community people who support MTB MLE to give speeches, do skits and demonstrations in different places with different groups, for example
•• Council meetings
•• Village markets and other informal gathering places
•• Religious meetings
•• Women’ s and youth group meetings
••
NGO meetings and workshops
2 2011, Supervisor’ s report, Liberian Languages and English Multilingual Education( LLEME) programme, Liberia 3 From S. Malone 2010
Booklet for Community Members
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