Minority tribe initiates lessons to protect dialect

By TITUS TOO

Nandi County

A minority Kalenjin sub-tribe is enlisting services of retired teachers to teach mother tongue in order to protect their dialect.

The Terik community, through Terik Essential Programmes Agency for Development (TEPAD) has embarked on the programmes targeting pupils at lower primary levels.

Terik Council of Elders chairman John Bor and his TEPAD counterpart Mark Ragor said pupils attend mother tongue classes for 30 minutes thrice a week. The officials said the Terik community received its code for the first time during the last census.

Mr Bor and Mr Ragor who spoke during a TEPAD meeting at Kapsengere Primary School disclosed that the retired teachers are paid a small fee by the agency.

Ragor said a school-feeding programme initiated by TEPAD in collaboration with Japanese Agency for International Development at Terik location has improved standards of education.

"Because of a feeding programme for class seven and eight, and lower primary, enrollment has improved and several pupils have qualified for places in National schools," he said.

The leaders urged the Government not to sideline minority groups in public appointments.

They added that the Terik community fully supports implementation of the new Constitution.

The community resides mainly in Kapsengere, Kapkerer and Tambua locations, in Aldai Division of Nandi South District