…erodes literacy skills
WINDHOEK – The language used in short text messaging is impacting negatively on the writing and literacy skills of countless Namibian learners, a disconcerting development that has far reaching implications for learners, who are required to write and ultimately pass crucial tests in promotional subjects such as formal English.
About 90 percent of Namibian learners own or have access to a cellphone which they often use to communicate with each other using a hybrid language consisting of letters, numbers and symbols, including slang because of the need to be succinct, as well as the cost of making calls. The trend has become so common that it has even started to surface in the marking of tests and examination papers in schools. In a telephonic interview with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Alfred Ilukena yesterday he confirmed the existence of the phenomenon, which is brought on by cellphone texting. “English is becoming extremely difficult, because the language of technology is creeping in. The SMS language is starting to influence the learners’ abilities to write, which is not acceptable in English.
We have seen during the marking process, that they use for example the letter 4 to mean ‘for’. What they use in the street is what they use in the classroom. It takes a teacher who is good in grammar to differentiate between formal and informal English,” Ilukena said. He urged learners to avoid the trend by all means, saying they will not pass English using “the language of technology.”
According to many teachers this phenomenon accounts to a large extent for the high failure rate among learners, especially in English as a subject, including mathematics and science and the fact that the English language proficiency of many teachers is considered poor or below the required standard. Ilukena also noted that some teachers who did the Basic Education Teachers Diploma (BETD) course were not trained to handle subjects at secondary level, making it difficult for them to be effective in teaching certain subjects in depth. “In some cases, we have teachers who graduated from Unam and were trained to handle subjects at higher level, but they are few. On the other hand you find learners introduced to such subjects only at secondary level, but do not have an understanding of concepts. This is not to apportion the blame to unqualified teachers,” Iilukena told New Era. He further stressed the importance of parental involvement in the education of children, saying it is one thing to teach in the classroom, but parents must also guide their children at home with their homework. “It is a commitment from both learners, teachers and parents,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Dr Hertha Pomuti, Director of the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) says English is a foreign or second language for many learners. “In most households, learners are not exposed to English in terms of study materials and the majority of the parents cannot speak, write and read English. English was introduced as a medium of instruction after independence and it takes many years for one to learn a language, especially when exposure to it is limited,” Pomuti.
She went on to say that since all subjects are taught in English, it becomes difficult to learn due to the limited understanding of the language. “I would not say teachers don’t have the right aptitude to teach. It could be the language barrier and the background. To me it is more competence than aptitude. English, maths and science are not difficult, but learners will learn better if they can relate to their own context. Learning is about creating meaning,” she explained. Retired educationalist Raphael Mbala, who is also the Kabbe north and south constituency councillor shared similar sentiments, saying unfortunately parents are not familiar with English to help their children. According to him most parents are used to Afrikaans, which used to be the medium of instruction before independence.
He also blamed the current state of affairs on the errosion of sound relations between school boards, teachers and parents that used to be there in the past. “Teachers used to be respected in society. They had influence and were seen as mentors, but now they are not respected. So, when it comes to the classroom, the learners behave negatively towards their teachers since they are no longer influential. There is a new phenomenon in the classroom that was not there before, which is moral decay,” Mbala said. According to him, there is no morality anymore and teachers no longer have a passion for teaching. “Whether you give teachers incentives to go and teach in the rural areas, learners are still failing, why? They don’t have morality and the calling for teaching. They are doing it for the money. Moral decay is not just happening outside, but also inside the classroom,” he maintained.
By Albertina Nakale