Teaching Values and Attitudes Through the Novel Utengano in Rwanda's Competence-Based Curriculum

Literature plays a big role in language teaching and learning, especially in equipping learners with values and shaping their attitudes. Beyond developing language proficiency, literary texts provide opportunities for learners to reflect on social realities, moral principles, and human experiences that influence their personal and social development. This paper examines how the novel Utengano by Said Ahmed Mohamed can be used as a pedagogical tool for teaching values and attitudes within Rwanda's Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC). The study is grounded in Bandura's (1977) Social Learning Theory, which holds that individuals learn values, attitudes, and behaviours by observing and reflecting on the actions of others. Using document analysis of the novel Utengano, Senior Six Kiswahili Student’s Book, Kiswahili Curriculum for Language Combination and other scholars’ research studies, this study identifies the key values and attitudes embedded in the novel's themes, characters, events, and narrative structure. Those include social justice, family responsibility, gender equality, moral integrity, respect for others, and the consequences of moral failure. The paper further analyses how these values and attitudes align with the cross-cutting issues and generic competences presented by Rwanda's CBC framework. Particular attention is given to the ways in which literary content can contribute to learners’ character development while simultaneously strengthening language skills. Drawing on moral lessons and themes from the novel in relation to CBC principles, this study argues that the novel Utengano is simultaneously equipped with important language competences as well as attitudes and values that are essential for learners in Rwanda. The paper concludes with recommendations for the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) on how the curriculum can be improved by increasing the number of novels taught at Advanced Level. The paper also recommends practical pedagogical approaches for Kiswahili teachers on how to effectively integrate attitudes and values in their lesson preparation and teaching within the CBC classroom context.