FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES 12TH SESSION, 28 – 29 NOVEMBER 2019 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND Statement on Agenda Item No. 4: Effective practices for education in, and the teaching of, minority languages. Paul Sixpence – Minority Rights Fellow, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Coordinator (Human Rights Advocacy Projects), Centre Stage Media Arts Foundation Zimbabwe Madam Chair, Recognising progressive provisions on the protection and promotion of minority languages as exhibited through sections 27, 33 and 63 of the Zimbabwe constitution. Further, inline with Article 4 subsection (3) and subsection (4) of the 1992 United Nations Declaration on Minorities, I would like to call this August house and my government to constructive dialogue and engagement on how we can improve learning outcomes for children from linguistic minorities. Madam Chair, we are concerned about the poor grades among children from linguistic minorities. The national schools examinations management body, Zimbabwe School Examinations Council has over the years recorded zero percent pass rates in schools located in areas inhabited by ethnic and linguistic minorities, namely, the south western parts of the country. For example, last year 29 schools in Matabeleland North province, recorded zero percent pass rates. Researchers and educationists have noted that, one of the causes of these low pass rates is learners being taught in foreign languages and by educators who are not conversant in local languages. Again, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, learning and stimulation of learners in their languages ensures that children have what is necessary to boost their sensory, emotional, cognitive, social and physical development. Page 1 of 2