Voices of EsF: The Importance of Mother Tongue Education

On Saturday, November 9th EsF will host an interactive gathering on "The Importance of Mother Tongue Education." Susan Nyaga will discuss what mother tongue education and multilingualism entail and how they relate to identity and culture. She will share research findings underscoring the importance of mother tongue learning and how this can be supported in the classroom and beyond.

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About the Presenter

Dr. Susan Nyaga Anzuruni is a Senior Literacy and Education Consultant with SIL Global. Susan is also the Director for SIL’s Institute for the Development of Languages and Translation in Africa, and a Research Associate in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She has been involved in projects that have led to the development of teaching/learning materials in 10 languages in Kenya, 13 languages in Uganda, 7 languages in Ethiopia, 5 languages in South Sudan, and 1 language in Tanzania. Her research interest is language use in education settings (language planning and language policy) and multilingualism. Susan’s desire is to see every language developed and its speakers using it as a tool for empowerment and flourishing. She has co-authored a book chapter on language, education and development in the Routledge Handbook for International Education and Development.