BISA is now an Accredited Swahili Examination Centre!

HONGERA BISA !!!

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our teachers and students for their dedication to teaching and learning Swahili.

Last week, we received a visit and inspection from BAKITA (Swahili Council) to assess our readiness to become an official centre for Swahili instruction. One of our notable achievements is offering Swahili education from Early Years through KS4.

Our school is performing exceptionally well, yielding positive results for our students.

BAKITA has expressed satisfaction with the quality of teaching provided to students at various levels, which include:

- Advanced: High, Mid, and Low

- Intermediate: High, Mid, and Low

- Beginner: High, Mid, and Low

Furthermore, a variety of resources are being developed and used for each level.

"Penye nia pana njia."(Where there is a will, there is a way.)

This proverb highlights the school, teachers, and students' determination and hard work in achieving the milestone of becoming a Swahili examination centre.

Swahili across the school

In KS1, the children have built confidence in all aspects of their skills. Through listening, speaking, reading, and writing, they successfully translated the story *The Stick Man* into Swahili (Baba Kijiti) and added their own creative touches to the work. This demonstrates that teaching a language requires creativity, enabling children to showcase their talents—and that’s exactly what BISA aims to achieve.

Teaching Swahili to Early Years students enhances their language skills, boosts cultural awareness, improves social and cognitive abilities, and fosters confidence as they enjoy learning and start speaking the language.

At the other end of the school, the success of our Year 11 IGCSE students has been remarkable. We are committed to encouraging and supporting our students from the earlier levels so that by the time they reach their IGCSE classes, they will feel confident in taking Swahili and excelling in their exams.

"Kutunze kidumu" (Preserve it so it lasts) is an excellent saying, and we commit to preserving Swahili so that it endures and continues to help our students in their future endeavors across various fields.

Pauline Sekemi