The Fiji National University’s Assistant Professor at the College of Humanities, Education and Law, Doctor Kasanita Nayasi is placing a strong focus on phonemic awareness in the iTaukei language.
Dr Nayasi highlighted this during a lecture at the Natabua Campus in Lautoka for first-year Bachelor of Education students.
Delivering a powerful message to future teachers, Dr Nayasi stressed the need to return to the basics and get them right, particularly as concerns continue over children who struggle with reading.
She challenged the assumption that a language is easy to teach simply because it is widely spoken.
She explains that learning to read in one’s mother tongue requires structured and intentional teaching, along with a clear understanding of how sounds, words and language patterns work.
Dr Nayasi further says effective literacy learning begins by building on what children already know.
She adds that strengthening literacy in the mother tongue is key to building a strong foundation for bilingual success.
She also noted that this work is already underway at FNU, and emphasised that getting the basics right can ensure every child has the opportunity to read and succeed.
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