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3.3 Language learning in the 1st Grade
Most children in rural areas of Mozambique enter Grade 1 at age 7 with
native competence in Ll and little or no previous exposure to Portuguese,
which is nevertheless the only medium of instruction and the language in
which they acquire literacy. The curriculum and syllabus are centrally
planned, as are school regulations and the provision of all educational
materials; the Katlonal Institute for the Development of Education
< J.JΓ.Γ.E.), which is the Ministry of Education Research and Curriculum
Centre, publishes the textbooks and the related Teacher's Manuals for each
grade. These books, often the only literature in the hands of the
teachers, effectively disseminate the methodology that has been
researched and approved for the 'teaching and learning process' of all
subjects.
The Teacher's Manual for the 1st Grade (IJfDEZXECt1983) consists of six
volumes with a total of 635 pages, and it is companion to the two-
volume pupil's textbook. It gives step-by-step guidelines where class-
room activities are exemplified in the greatest detail for each and every
day of the school year. Its language and style are very simple and all
teachers attend courses or workshops on its use. This extreme form of
intervention by the Ministry is not meant to be a device for control, but
rather an effort to counterbalance the poor training of the teachers, and
to support both their performance and morale. As such, it is welcome and
appreciated by the teaching profession.
The Teacher's Manual for Grade 1 opens with a presentation of the
educational objectives for the year, and a brief explanation of the
methodology of language teaching and learning. Portuguese is recognized
as L2:
The SKE suggests a new methodology for the teaching of
Portuguese, the language of national unity in Mozambique. For the