The State University of Zanzibar
TOPIC: EDUCATION FOR ALL – IN WHOSE LANGUAGE?
Presenter: Prof. Dr. Birgit Brock-Utne,
University of Oslo, Norway
Venue : Nkrumah Campus Hall
TOPIC: EDUCATION FOR ALL – IN WHOSE LANGUAGE?
Presenter: Prof. Dr. Birgit Brock-Utne,
University of Oslo, Norway
Venue : Nkrumah Campus Hall
Date: Tuesday 1st of December, 2009
Time : 10 -11am
All developed countries in the world use children’s mother tongue or at least a language which is very familiar to them as the language of instruction. The Finns use Finnish, the Greeks use Greek, the British use English, Norwegians use Norwegian, the Icelanders use Icelandish, the Japanese Japanese, the Koreans Korean. Only one continent uses languages which teachers and students do not command well, languages which in reality are foreign languages. That continent is Africa.
Time : 10 -11am
All developed countries in the world use children’s mother tongue or at least a language which is very familiar to them as the language of instruction. The Finns use Finnish, the Greeks use Greek, the British use English, Norwegians use Norwegian, the Icelanders use Icelandish, the Japanese Japanese, the Koreans Korean. Only one continent uses languages which teachers and students do not command well, languages which in reality are foreign languages. That continent is Africa.
The current strengthening of English as language of instruction in Tanzania is one way of making schooling harder for the masses of Africans and undermining democracy since only a tiny portion of pupils, those whose parents have books and resources, can pay private tutoring and have time and knowledge enough to follow up their children’s homework, will do well in the system. It is a system well designed for what Prof. Dr. Birgit Brock-Utne has elsewhere called “the stupidification” of the African population.
In her talk she will mention results from the LOITASA (Language of Instruction in Tanzania and South Africa) project. She mentions a study of science concepts carried out as part of the LOITASA project in a black township near Cape Town. According to her the study showed clearly how much better children understood the concepts when they were taught in isiXhosa than when they were taught in English.
In her talk she will mention results from the LOITASA (Language of Instruction in Tanzania and South Africa) project. She mentions a study of science concepts carried out as part of the LOITASA project in a black township near Cape Town. According to her the study showed clearly how much better children understood the concepts when they were taught in isiXhosa than when they were taught in English.
A similar study from Tanzania found that the mean was higher and the spread of scores was much lower when the class was taught in Kiswahili than when it was taught in English. On this background the new policy from Zanzibar seems to contradict all we know about learning science and maths.
In the LOITASA project they have seen that there are several challenges they have to deal with if they want to make language policy research relevant for those most greatly affected by the policy.
In the LOITASA project they have seen that there are several challenges they have to deal with if they want to make language policy research relevant for those most greatly affected by the policy.
There are misconceptions in this field which are hard to deal with. Often western paradigms are used when researching language policy in Africa. These paradigms, which do not fit the African situation, are used by donor agencies and researchers trained in the west as well.
Another challenge to overcome is the common misconception that the best way to learn a foreign language is to have it as a language of instruction. Prof. Dr. Birgit Brock-Utne will deal with these two challenges separately.
Issued by the Public Relations Office
State University of Zanzibar
Issued by the Public Relations Office
State University of Zanzibar
Asante sana prof. Birgit.
ReplyDeleteBaadhi yetu tumeshasema sana kwenye blog hii ya jamii kwamba kukikataa kiswahili na kukikumbatia kiingereza siyo ishara ya maendeleo bali ni ishara ya "marudinyuma"; lakini baadhi ya "wathomi" wetu wanasema "oooooh hii kiingereza itatusaidia kwenye soko letu la ajira"; Mimi binafsi sikuweza kuelewa maana ya soko la ajira linalohitaji kiingereza.
Prof. Birgit ni mzungu. Sasa kwa kuwa sasa hivi hili suala limesemwa na mzungu, "wathomi" wetu wataanza kulikubali bila kupinga sasa.
Niliwahi kusema humu kwamba kuna wazazi wengi waliokuwa wakituibia pesa zetu walipa kodi na kupeleka watoto zao kampala na nairobi kujifunza kiingereza, watoto wengi wamerudi bila ya kiingereza na walichojifunza sana ni ngono za kinyume cha jinsia. Lakini wazazi haohao hawajifunzi na wanaendelea mpaka leo hii kufanya makosa yale yale waliyoyafanya zamani.
Soko lenu la ajira linalotegemea kiingereza, linatokana na ubongo lala "intellectual lazyness" inayomfanya muhitimu wa elimu wa kitanzania kufikiria kuajiriwa kabla ya kujiajiri. Elimu hii iliyokusudiwa tangu awali kuzalisha wachache wa kutii amri za "majesty lady" ndiyo imebakia vile vile na wala hakuna kilichoongezwa wala kupunguzwa. Kiingereza kimetuletea watu kama john mashaka ambao wamepata umaarufu usiojulikana hata unatokana na nini kwa sababu ya kuandika tungo ndefu na nyoofu za kiingereza.
Kiingereza ndiyo kipimo cha usomi, na pia ndiyo kipimo cha akili ya mwafrika.
Prof. "stupidification of africans". hewala.
Matangalu
Huu ni mjadala ambao nadhani imefika wakati wasomi wajadiliane waziwazi, especially kama wanaweza kuandika vitabu wakiaelezea tofauti zao za mawazo. Sidhani kama debate au forum ya aina hii ni njia nzuri kwa sababu wahusika wanakuwa na limited time ya kujieleza. The best option ni ambayo itawezesha waafrika kujifunza na kuwa participant katika uvumbuzi wa sayansi ya teknolojia huku tukiendelea kujifunza lugha za kigeni kama masomo yanayojitegemea (lakini ambayo itatuwezesha kuwa proficient katika lugha hizo katika kuandika na kuongea siyo tu katika maongezi ya kawaida, lakini vilevile katika masuala ya kitaaluma). Tukiweza kufanya hivyo tutakuwa hatushikiki!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interest topic! Swahili as a mediucm of instruction in all subjects at all levels is by all means a wishful thinking. While it is true that the Greeks use Greek the spontaneity of concept development cannot be overlooked. I am not too sure how Swahili rates in this respect. I recall some initiatives been made back in the '80s but never were realised. Do we start with the language and proceed to building a solid educational infrastructure or we try to build it with the resources available - language being one?
ReplyDeleteNaungana na ndugu Matangalu kumshukuru sana Prof. Brock-Utne kujitokeza kuwaelimisha watawala wetu. Pengine yakisemwa na mzungu wataweza kumsikiliza. Suala hili limezungumzwa sana katika medani za wasomi wa Kitanzania tokea miaka ya 1970 hadi leo hii lakini kwa vile watoa maoni ni wabantu, watawala waliamua kuziba masikio. Ripoti ya BAKITA ya mwaka 1977 iliyoandaliwa na akina mama Mlama na Matteru ilikuwa na data na mapendekezo wazi, mapendekezo ya Tume ya Rais juu ya mfumo wa elimu ya 1982/83 ilipendekeza mtumizi ya Kiswahili kama lugha ya kufundishia lakini yakapuuziwa, enzi hizo za Makweta. Wanazuoni kama akina Prof Martha Qurro na Zaline Roy-Campbell wamelielezea suala hili kupitia njia mbalimbali ikiwa ni pamoja na machapisho na mihadhara, lakini watawala wetu kama kawaida yao maamuzi yao yanaendeshwa na hisia zao binafsi. Ama bila kujua au kwa makusudi wanatumia kisingizio cha wimbo wa 'utandawazi' kudumuza jamii.
ReplyDeleteMhuu,,Michuzi mpaka sasa hivi maini yakipata ushindi hutaki hata kutangazia mashabiki wako kama wewe na benitezz mumeanza kujirudia kwakuwachapa Everton,,,Na sisi the blue tumewaadhibi watoto wa Wenger goli 3-0,maini yameanza kujikaza. na hongereni.
ReplyDeleteTHERE ISN'T A WORD 'STUPIDIFICATION'.THIS IS ONE OF THE DIRECT TRANSLATION PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN DIALECTS.IN MY OPINION,ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENRICHES KNOWLEDGE RATHER THAN WHAT THE PROFESSOR THINKS.THE FOLLOWING WOULD TESTIFY.
ReplyDeleteENGLISH IS AN ADVANCED LANGUAGE AND VERY OLD(700 YRS) IF COMPARED TO KISWAHILI AND THEREFORE,IS HIGHLY SCOPED IN TERMS OF KNOWLEDGE BASE.
MOST SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES WERE DONE IN ENGLISH AND ARE STILL CONDUCTED IN THE LANGUAGE E.G CANCER RESEARCH.UNMISTAKABLY,THERE ARE RESEARCHES IN SWAHILI BUT I DOUBT,THEY ARE MERELY DUPLICATE OF PROCEDURES,PRINCIPLES AND THEORY.TERMS LIKE MUTATION,DNA'deoxyribonucleic acis' ETC WOULD ENHANCE YOUR PERCEPTION ON ENGLISH OVER KISWAHILI.
FURTHERMORE,MASS TANZANIANS GRASP AND MASTERY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE WOULD HAVE IMPLICATION FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETATIVENESS ESPECIALLY ON INT.BUSINESSES.THIS IS ASSESSED THROUGH NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SPEAK IT WHICH IS AROUND 300M OUT OF 6BIL ON THE WORLD.
OBVIOUSLY,ENGLISH IS NOT WIDELY SPOKEN LANGUAGE COMPARED TO MANDARIN(4BIL chinese).BUT IS PROMINENT SINCE THE LATER IS CONFINED TO CHINA.THEREFORE,ENGLISH WOULD AID TANZANIAN BUSINESSES GLOBAL RECOGNITION THAN THROUGH KISWAHILI.
NEVERTHELESS,ENGLISH CAN NOT BE UNDEREMPHASIZED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF MODERN INFRUSTRUCTURES AND TECHNOLOGIES WHERE DIGITAL INFORMATION IS PROCESSED.I COULD DOUBT THEIR TRANSLATION TO KISWAHILI TO AID UNDERSTANDING WHERE IN MOSTLY,LANGUAGE BARRIERS WOULD BE PREVALENT.
I DO NOT UNDERMINE MY MOTHER TONGUE WHICH IS SWAHILI FOR,THERE ARE ENORMOUS BENEFITS AS A MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION.KISWAHILI PLAYED CRUCIAL ROLE IN UNITING TANZANIANS SINCE THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE AS THE MOTIVES WERE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.
I STILL THINK THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE STRENGTHERN OUR AMBITIONS BY INFLUENCING OUR IDEOLOGIES AS WE COPE WITH FAST CHANGING WORLD VIEWS WHERE INFORMATION AND INFORMATION PROCESSORS ARE ESSENTIAL.
WE READ MAILS,NEWSPAPERS,BOOKS,WE ACCESS MICHUZI BLOGG AND OTHER WEB PAGES FOR INFORMATION.THROUGH THESE VARIETY OF SOURCES,ENGLISH COMES ON TOP OF KISWAHILI.EVEN PEOPLES' THOUGHT PROCESS IN CONVERSATION IS GUIDED THROUGH THE RECALL OF ENGLISH WORDS.HAVE YOU NOTICED SOMETIMES PEOPLE USE ENGLISH WORDS WHILE SPEAKING IN SWAHILI?
LET IT BE IMPLIED FORTHRIGHTLY THAT I CLEARLY DO NOT ADVOCATE ENGLISH SUPERIORITY OVER KISWAHILI,HOWEVER,I AIM AT EXPLAINING EXPLICITLY THE GAP THAT EXIST BETWEEN THE TWO LANGUAGES.I DO NOT FAULT THE GOVERMENT ADOPTION OF ENGLISH AS INSRTUCTIONAL LANGUAGE SIMPLY,IT ENRICHES KNOWLEDGE EARNESTLY.
NOTE,THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUST REVIEW AND FOR THAT MATTER, I WELCOME SARCASM AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM FROM PATRIOTIC TANZANIANS.HOWEVER,YOU'VE GOT TO BE THOUGHTFUL AND HAVE THOROUGHLY READ AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT I DEPICT.
Mdau ( John ) UK
Nachukua fursa hii kuipongeza SUZA kwa kuandaa mhadhara huu wenye lengo la kuelimisha jamii; na kadhalika kutimiza madhumuni ya kuundwa kwa SUZA yenyewe.
ReplyDeleteNawaomba wadau watakaofursika kuunga mkono mhadhara huu kwa kuhudhuria, na kwa wale watakaotingwa na majukumu mengine, basi wafikiriwe kwa kufikishiwa yaliyojiri kwa njia tofauti ikiwemo globu yetu ya jamii.
Mwisho kabisa, SUZA pamoja na pongezi ni kuwakumbusha umuhimu wa kuandaa shughuli kama hii. Kwangu ni kuwaomba waendeleze chachu hii kwa maendeleo ya jamii.
Nawasilisha
brekingi nyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzi!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTaifa stars yanyukwa mbili bila!!!
kachumbali!!!!
Ewe Mdau (John) UK
ReplyDeletehivi ni nani aliyekuloga mpaka ukawa "stupidified" kiasi hicho?
Mdau John of UK. Nakuunga mkono. Kiingereza ni muhimu sana. Kwa kuwa wadau wengi wanaoingia hapa kwa Balozi hawafahamu Kiingereza kwa kuwa elimu yao ni ndogo, basi utajikuta kuwa unaongea na ukuta tu.
ReplyDeleteWaswedi, Wagiriki, Wajapani na kadhalika wanatumia lugha yao katika elimu lakini wao ni matajiri. Wanatumia elimu ya kisasa kwa kutumia wasomi wao na wa nje lakini Tanzania mpaka leo hatuna walimu wengi waliosoma katika vyuo vya ualimu. Ndio maana utakuta hata mdau aliyekwenda kusoma nje, anaandika Kiingereza cha ajabu hapa.
Sasa leo, kwa mfano, tumfundishe mtoto wetu kwa kutumia Kiswahili kutoka darasa la kwanza mpaka chuo kikuu, nani hapa anyoshe mkono na kusema kuwa huyu mtoto atapata kazi nzuri kwa kuwa elimu yake itamsaidia kupata kazi nzuri?
Nchi za kitajiri kama Sweden, Japan wanasomesha watoto wao kwa lugha mbili au tatu kwa mpigo. Na wana uchumi wa kitajiri, kwa hivyo hata kama elimu yao wanasomeshwa kikwao, wakimaliza wanaweza kufanyakazi na kupata mshahara mzuri tu. Sisi masikini, hii lugha ya Kiswahili ambayo huwezi kusomeshwa kisayansi, tutaweza vipi kuleta maendeleo nchini kwetu?
Kujiheshimu na kujisifia ni kitu kizuri, lakini katika dunia ya leo, kama huna elimu ya lugha ya Kimataifa kama Kiingereza au Kifaransa, basi wananchi wako hawataweza kujiendeleza nje ya boda ya Tanzania mpaka hapo Tanzania itakapokuwa nchi tajiri kama Norway au Sweden.
Wadau waliosoma wanajua jinsi gani elimu yetu ilivyokua duni. Mpaka leo, hatuwezi kusomesha wasomi wetu mpaka tuwapeleke nje. Na kuna Watanzania wengi tu Marekani wameshindwa kujiendeleza kwa kuwa Kiingereza cha chuo kikuu wameshindwa kukielewa.
Huyu Profesa sio Mungu na mimi nampinga kwa kuwa najua Kiswahili peke yake katika elimu yetu haitatusaidia kuleta maendeleo nchini. Tanzania sio Afrika ya Kusini, sisi bado tunategemea misaada kujiendeleza kielimu, bibiashara na kiafya.
Mdau pinga kama unataka ni haki yako, lakini ukae na kujua kuwa lugha ya kimataifa na ya kibiashara sio Kiswahili. Kama unabisha, itumie sehemu yoyote duniani.
Mdau (John)na wote wanaomuunga mkono ayo maboksi unabeba uko UK ndo yanakutoa akili kiasi hicho?au kiswahili kwa kua ni lugha yako ya pili unakua mbinafsi?ingekua kilugha cha kwenu nnahakika ungelikubaliana na Profesa Birgit. Sijui kama mmesoma nyinyi. Kama mmesoma that is literacy for stupidification,tena kama mmesoma hamjasafiri, kama mshasafiri hamjaishi nchi ambazo si English speaking countries ndo mgelijua umuhimu wa lugha zenu.Pumbav zenu
ReplyDeleteQuote"I STILL THINK THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE STRENGTHERN OUR AMBITIONS BY INFLUENCING OUR IDEOLOGIES AS WE COPE WITH FAST CHANGING WORLD VIEWS WHERE INFORMATION AND INFORMATION PROCESSORS ARE ESSENTIAL" Unquote
ReplyDeleteHuyu mdau John UK anafurahisha kweli: Hiki kingereza ndio cha wapi?? Na hata mantiki mbona hamna: language kweli ina-influence our ideologies?
I'D LIKE TO REITERATE ON WHAT I WROTE ABOVE THAT YOU'VE GOT TO BE THOUGHTFUL TO CRITICISE MY COMMENT AND CLEARLY ANONYMS 06:38 AND 06:47 COULD NOT OBSERVE THIS.
ReplyDeleteHOW COULD A LANGUAGE INFLUENCE YOUR IDEOLOGIES?YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT/PRINCIPLES/THEORIES/VIEWS ON SEVERAL CASES SUCH AS LET SAY VIEWS LIKE ABSOLUTISM/DOGMATIC WHERE THE TRUTH IN ONE CULTURE MAY BE IMPOSED AS TRUTH IN ANOTHER CULTURE E.G WESTERN MISSIONARIES IMPOSING WESTERN TRUTH ON OTHER CULTURE,IE VIEWS ON DEATH PENALTIES,UNDER AGE LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR TORTUOUS ACT OF CRIMINALITY.LIKEWISE,
THROUGH PRAGMATISM/RELATIVITY VIEWPOINT,THOSE RULES WILL CHANGE OVERTIME IN ONE SOCIETY AND DEFINITLY,WILL BE DIFFERENT IN THE OTHER SOCIETY.AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS,PROBABLY THE IDEA OF PUBLIC EXECUTION WHICH IS ABHORRENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY BUT WAS PRACTICED IN THE 13TH CENTURY EUROPE.
THIS IS THE SAME AS TO THE MASS DESTRUCTION USING NUKES WHERE NUCLEAR WEAPON WAS USED IN 20TH CENTURY BUT IN 21ST CENTURY,POWERFUL NATIONS PROHIBIT PROLIFERATION AND ARE CUTTING BACK THEIR ARSENAL BACKLOG WHERE IN THE END, THEY AIM FOR NUCLEAR FREE STATES.
THEREFORE,YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND PRECISELY HOW LANGUAGES WHICH EVER ONE,IS LIKELY TO INFLUENCE YOUR PERCEPTION OF IDEAS AND WORLDLY VIEWS AND INTRIGUES.
I DO FIND THE OTHER ANON'06:38 COMMENT'S AS DESPICABLE AND DEPLORABLE SIMPLY IT CONTAINS UNPROVOKED HATRED AND INSULT.HAD HE/SHE BEEN CONSIDERATE AND WISE,HE/SHE COULD REFRAIN FROM ATTACKING MY OPINION AND THE OUTSTANDING VIEWS OF ANON NOV 30 03:21 WHO OVERSAW BARRIERS AND GAPS BETWEEN THE TWO LANGUAGES.
IT IS VERY ASTONISHING TO READING THESE SORTS OF COMMENTS AS HE ARGUABLY SIDED WITH THE PROFESSORS WITHOUT GIVING A PROPER CONSIDERATION AND SCRUTINY.PLEASE REREAD COMMENTS AND COUNTERBALANCE ISSUES FOR AND AGAINST KISWAHILI.I MIGHT BE WASTING MY 10 MINUTES TO WRITING BACK OBVIOUS FACTS FOR THESE TWO ANONYMS AND PROBABLY OTHERS UNREVEALED WHO COULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND THOSE FACTS.I CAN NOT SIMPLY COMPROMISE WITH THE PROFESSOR.WHAT IF HE IS AGAIST YOUR SCIENTIFIC,TECHNOLOGICAL,INFRUSTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT?
LET IT BE NOTED EXPEDIENTLY,I DO NOT ADVOCATE ENGLISH SUPERIORITY OVER MY MOTHER TONGUE.IT IS AN OPPERTUNITY TO EXPLORE THESE MODERN LANGUAGES FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWLEDGE,COMMUNICATION ETC FOR OUR FUTURE.I WELLCOME MORE CRITICISM,AND WITH YOUR RESPECT,USE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE.clarify'kubeba boxi' and give an objective evidence.
Mdau(John)UK
It is very interesting to see Tanzanian striving for Swahili at this era of globalization, no doubt English is the first international language and every nation is trying to learn it hard even Germany, Japan, china etc. they offer English taught degree programs and call them international degree program. Francophone countries are changing to Anglophone. Why us running from English to our mother language Swahili?. We are complaining Kenyans are taking our jobs just because they known English and not more than that why don't learn this language and enter into competition. what is SUZA, is it in the list of the world class universities? how is the competence of its graduands in the world market.
ReplyDeleteWe should be realistic English should remain the language of instruction if we want to enter into world market.
Bado nasisitiza kwamba huyu mdau John Uk anabore, kwasababu hakuna coherence kwenye arguments zako! Ukubwa wa Pua si wingi wa makamasi...forget about ideologies and religion, think about broader walfare of nations.
ReplyDeleteThe most successful region of the world is SCANDNAVIA, and what language do they use? Not English, im afraid. Do they speak English? Yes. Germany?, Yes. French? Yes. Do they trade Internationlly?, absolutely, more than we do. And their language of study? Their respective mother tongues.
Should the Japanese change their language of instruction to English now? Well, you will say no because they are already developed/trading internationally. Ok, how about Korea/China who are relatively new in international business?
You see, reading Pragmatism/Relativism/capitalism/communism theories in the class need not get you too excited to be able to think originally.
the same tanzanians blaming mwl nyerere when someone is maimuna...now they want to go he same path, even farther...talknig about how FICKLE we are
ReplyDelete