The implementation of mother tongue education (MTE) remains a challenge across Africa and Kenya in particular. This continues despite the fact that the maintenance and development of language and literacy skills in one’s mother tongue (MT) plays a critical role in facilitating second language (L2) learning, developing additive bilingualism and continuous cognitive development. Consequently, Kenya has had several education commissions in both colonial and post-colonial periods, which, together with the Constitution of Kenya have had a bearing on the language policy. However, the language policy has not been supported by a careful implementation strategy for MTE. Presently, Kenya is undergoing curriculum reforms from the ongoing 8-4-4 system, where learners study for eight years of basic (primary) education, four years of secondary education and four years of university education to a new system of 2-6-3-3-3. The 2-6-3-3-3 system comprises two years of pre-primary, six years of primary (three years lower and three years upper primary), six years of secondary (three years junior and three years senior) and three years of university education. While English has been given preponderant attention in the new curriculum, the role of MT has also been re-emphasised because it has not received as much attention as it deserves in the past. It is against this background and the ongoing debates on MTE that this paper attempts to examine the challenges that are likely to impede the implementation of MTE in the 2-6-3-3-3 curriculum reforms as outlined in the education policy. The paper further suggests some implementation strategies to avert the challenges. The study was conducted in Bungoma County in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to identify key respondents from 10 schools which were used to pilot the new curriculum. The respondents included Grade 3 teachers, head teachers and quality assurance officers (QASOs). Focus group discussions (FGDs), unstructured interviews and document analysis were used to elicit data. The findings revealed that the implementation of MTE policy is likely to flop if it is not supported by careful implementation strategies that take care of teacher training, the production of teaching/learning materials and attempts to change the attitudes of parents towards indigenous languages. The paper advocates for implementation strategies such as greater resource allocation, teacher training on L1 methodologies, a change in attitude with regard to MTE, political will and clearer policy objectives to achieve the aims of an effective MTE system in Kenya.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚课程改革和母语教育：问题，挑战和实施策略

尤其在非洲和肯尼亚，实施母语教育（MTE）仍然是一个挑战。尽管这样的事实仍在继续，尽管维持和发展母语（MT）的语言和读写能力在促进第二语言（L2）学习，发展加性双语能力和持续认知发展方面起着至关重要的作用。因此，肯尼亚在殖民时期和后殖民时期都有几个教育委员会，这些委员会与《肯尼亚宪法》一起对语言政策产生了影响。但是，语言策略尚未得到MTE的谨慎实施策略的支持。目前，肯尼亚正在从正在进行的8-4-4系统中进行课程改革，学习者在那里学习了八年的基础（小学）教育，四年中学教育和四年大学教育达到2-6-3-3-3的新体系。2-6-3-3-3系统包括学前两年，小学六年（低三年级和三年高中），中学六年（初中三年级和三年级）和三年大学教育。尽管英语在新课程中得到了极大的重视，但MT的作用也得到了重新强调，因为它没有得到应有的重视。正是在这种背景下，以及正在进行的有关MTE的辩论，本文试图研究可能阻碍教育政策概述的2-6-3-3-3课程改革中实施MTE的挑战。本文进一步提出了一些实施策略来避免挑战。该研究在肯尼亚的邦戈马县进行。目的抽样用来确定来自10所学校的主要受访者，这些人被用来试行新课程。受访者包括3年级老师，班主任和质量保证官（QASO）。焦点小组讨论（FGD），非结构化访谈和文档分析被用来获取数据。调查结果表明，如果没有得到认真的实施策略的支持，MTE政策的实施很可能会失败，这些策略包括师资培训，教材/学习材料的制作以及试图改变父母对土著语言的态度。本文提倡实施策略，例如增加资源分配，对L1方法论进行教师培训，对MTE态度的转变，