{"id":584273,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/584273/?format=json","text_counter":281,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Members, as you witnessed, the Ministry of Education struggled to introduce mother tongue in the teaching of the first three years of primary education. It is a move in the direction of the findings of modern science. Medical research has confirmed that a child who is taught in mother tongue in the first five years of life is in a better position to learn a second language. That is why you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, are a doctor like me. The older generation of students – you and I included – who were taught in mother tongue in the formative years of life can express themselves better in English in this country. However, children who are taught three or four foreign languages from birth always perform worse when eventually examined in English."}