ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief account of practices in the teaching of Zambian languages in primary schools during 1970 followed by a short description of the training of teachers for Zambian languages for primary schools. The Associateship Certificate in Education (ACE) course provides a cadre of academically well qualified teachers who have had the benefit of a full year's course and are available to the Ministry for a variety of openings. A number of teachers have expressed their belief in the importance of reading and writing in Zambian languages, and evidence seems to point to a great deal of reading activity in the classroom. Observers were asked to record the language that was being taught in each class and the regional language for the province. English appears to fulfill the role of a "common" language which is more widely understood than any of the others, and which is resorted to for clarification and communication.
