The following opinion piece from the Nairobi daily, The Nation, may be of interest. It was seen at http://allafrica.com/stories/200501100433.html DZO
"National Exams And the Case of Kiswahili As a National Language" The Nation (Nairobi) http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/ OPINION January 9, 2005 Posted to the web January 10, 2005 Kimani Njogu Nairobi The poor performance in Kiswahili at the 2003 KCPE results is very disturbing. Equally disturbing is the revelation that the Kiswahili paper was above the level of primary school students. Chama cha Kiswahili cha Taifa (Chakita)-Kenya would like to appeal to the Ministry of Education, the Kenya Institute of Education and the Kenya National Examinations Council to ensure that the examination questions are for the appropriate levels. A number of parents have in the past claimed that some of the books used in the teaching of Kiswahili in primary schools are far above the level of students at that level. They are characterised by uncontextualised vocabulary and language use. It is almost as if knowing Kiswahili is translated as being able to generate archaic expressions and hard-to-find words. Linguistic dexterity does not reside in the absurd use of language; rather it is to be located in the ability to communicate effectively paying particular attention to diction and choice of words. Given this limited understanding of what linguistic competence means and coupled with the emergence of sheng, the less-than-satisfactory attitude associated with the mastery of Kiswahili, and the lack of motivation to know the language well at the national level, one may start to understand the dilemma of Kiswahili teachers in Kenya. As a country we need to pay particular attention to the teaching of languages, even as we emphasise science and mathematics. Of particular interest to me is the teaching of Kiswahili. There is need to re-evaluate the books being used in the teaching of Kiswahili in order to determine the extent to which they are appropriate for the targeted levels; to identify more specifically teachers who would be charged with the teaching of Kiswahili in schools instead of assuming that all teachers can hold brief for the subject; to see the relationship between the mastery of Kiswahili and national development and cohesion; to link language performance with work in other spheres of national life. We need to make Kiswahili more relevant in our national affairs. A good starting point would be leaders addressing Kenyans in the language during our national days. This would help in giving the language the status and prestige it deserves. A look at the 1999 and 2000 KCPE language examination scores suggests that students are more comfortable with Kiswahili than English. The raw mean score for the English Objective Paper was 53.40 per cent in 1999 and 45.42 per cent in 2000. It was 32.4 per cent in English Composition in 1999 and 36.05 per cent in 2000. In contrast, the raw mean for Kiswahili Objective Paper was 65.14 per cent in 1999 and 57.64 per cent in 2000. It was 42.48 per cent in Kiswahili Composition in 1999 and 42.28 per cent in 2000. Notice that the difference between the performance in the two subjects was significant in 1999 and 2000. This difference occurred despite the fact that English is assigned more teaching/learning periods per week compared to Kiswahili. Writing skills were low in English and Kiswahili; but better in Kiswahili. The lack of improvement in Kiswahili in the 2003 KCPE examinations requires that we try to find out what has been happening in the teaching and reading of Kiswahili, as well as the attitudes associated with the language. We might also want to look at the current modes of setting and marking the Paper. In the 2000 KCPE Examination Newsletter Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) advises teachers to pay particular attention to composition writing: "As a result of the large number of below average compositions, there is need for teachers to readdress the task of teaching composition writing skills. The micro-writing skills, sentence construction, sentence emphasis, sentence coordination, use of connectors, paragraph building, punctuation. . . letter formation and handwriting." The council emphasises the need for pupils to be guided through writing exercises and intensive reading. The curriculum is coordinated by the Kenya Institute of Education. I have looked at some of the Kiswahili books in use in many of our schools and to be fair, we can claim that they are generally good and appropriate. However, I still think there is too much emphasis on mastery of vocabulary that does not add value to students understanding of the language. Learning Kiswahili should be fun; not a pain. Within the 8-4-4 system of education in Kenya, during the first years of schooling, the medium of instruction is "mother tongue" or the "language of the school's catchment area," i.e., Kiswahili in urban areas. However, schools, especially private ones and the urban-based, insist on English right from Class 1, because of the power and prestige that English continues to have in the region, as the language of upward mobility. Government policy is that in standards IV-VIII English is the medium of instruction and Kiswahili and English are both required and examinable subjects. Schools assign more periods to English in the hope of improving performance. When one takes into account the dismal performance in English and Kiswahili in Kenya, it becomes even more urgent that there be a re-evaluation of language teaching in Kenyan primary schools. Even without turning the tables on English, attention to language issues within the current curriculum might involve a number of policy and pedagogical actions. One of these has to do with the qualification of language teachers. Primary school teachers are currently expected to teach all subjects, yet some of them may have done very poorly in the language examinations. It may be advisable that in all cases only those teachers who performed so well in languages are mandated to teach English and Kiswahili. Language teaching requires certain skills and sensitivities that may not be possessed by all primary school teachers. To assume that every teacher can provide language instructions is really to miss the point. The Ministry of Education would need to recruit language teachers specifically, and to in-service the ones in the classrooms. Further, teachers and parents should endeavour to create more libraries in order to give children the opportunity to read story books. There have been claims, notably from the Ministry of Education, that sheng, an adolescent slang derived from Kiswahili, other Kenyan languages and English, is a major contributor to the poor performance in language examinations and that it should be banned from use. It is true that the boundary between a spoken discourse and standard language is at times lost by primary and high school students. As a result, they are not able to disambiguate spoken and written language. But the solution does not reside in banning sheng. Instead, it is to be located in rigorous language teaching strategies. Modes of expression such as sheng important in the formation of identities and solidarities will continue to be invented and reinvented. My view has been unequivocal: we cannot fight and ban a mode of speaking. Rather we should perfect teaching of standard forms so that pupils can identify the boundaries between the various forms of language use. The curriculum provides varied language specific objectives. However, in general students are expected to have a mastery of language that would ensure fluency and accuracy in written and spoken communication. At the end of the primary school level, the learners are supposed to have acquired listening skills to enable them to listen, understand and respond appropriately to information and instructions. Further, they should have attained speaking skills to enable them to use correct pronunciation, stress and intonation so that their speech is understood; to express needs and feelings; convey information; and relate experiences. Reading skills are supposed to be developed so that they can read and understand instructions; to access information; and to read widely for pleasure. Writing skills are expected to enable students to express their ideas meaningfully and legibly, to convey information and to communicate effectively. It is clear to me that there is need for a review of language dynamics in Kenyan schools. This would need a revisiting of the education policy, backed by institutions for its implementation. We need to make the language an official language and to set up a National Kiswahili Council urgently. We need as a matter of urgency to show the value of mastering Kiswahili well by deliberately integrating it in the job market. The Chama ha Kiswahili cha Taifa (Chakita, Kenya) has been at the forefront in arguing for the anchoring of Kiswahili in Kenya and the region. The Ministry of Education and Publishing Houses ought to involve the organisation much more deliberately in matters related to Kiswahili. Although in Kenya, English is the language of instruction in schools except during the Kiswahili lesson, most teachers find themselves oscillating between English and Kiswahili in teaching other subjects. In a study of 15 secondary schools in Bungoma District, Omulando (2001) examined the effect of Kiswahili on English as a medium of instruction and found out that Kiswahili is clearly the preferred language in schools. Moreover, in classroom settings, Kiswahili, English and mother tongue are used interchangeably for clarity; when addressing wrong-doers in anger; and in oral literature classes; and for guidance and counselling. Code-mixing is the norm rather than the exception. It would appear that there is constant linguistic negotiations in schools. Significantly, Kiswahili seems to be taking over as a medium of instruction in rural schools and as an all round school language. Yet, performance in national examinations is unimpressive. In view of the poor performance in English by primary school candidates, and taking into account the lack of internal efficiency in the educational system, and considering the central role that the informal sector plays in sustaining the economy, the place of Kiswahili needs to be positively redefined and buttressed. This is one way of improving the performance of the subject in Kenya. Prof Kimani Njogu is a linguist and literary critic. He is the chairman of Chakita-Kenya ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! 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