The Namibian education system reshuffle



The honourable minister of Education David Namwandi's plan to change the medium of instruction from English to Vernacular languages is not a bad move. Let me do a quick intro: The Namibian Education Minister announced a radical change in language policy, English would no longer be the medium of instruction in the lower primary phase. This means that from grade 1 – 5 children in the Namibian Education system will be taught in their mother tongue (Native language). But like all grand plans it needs to take input and be fine-tuned. Most countries that implement this policy only have one or two prominent Vernacular languages, not the 11 or 13 that we have.

Suggestion 1: Teach the kids in their mother tongue from grade 1 - 3, but make sure that English as a subject clocks twice as many hours as the other subjects so the kids can switch to English with more ease (improvise by adding drama, poetry and film as teaching aids).

Suggestion 2: Instead of waiting until grade 6, the change from Vernacular to English as a medium of instruction should take place at the start of grade 4. Making sure that a chosen Vernacular language as a subject clocks twice as many hours as the other subjects (improvise by adding drama, poetry and film as teaching aids). A child's capacity to absorb information is peak between the ages of 7 - 13 (scientifically proven). Waiting until grade 6 is a huge banana skin, I know most of my friends who learned foreign languages, music and subjects like crafts and home economics in school starting from grade 3 or 4 are all better than my other friends who started in grade 8.

Suggestion 3: Keep the option for parents to have their children taught in English with Vernacular as first language. After all this is a democracy, we can't enforce Vernacular languages knowing that we have minorities and also to cater for kids with multiple ethnic backgrounds.

Suggestion 4: Next time you want to change the system, ask the 20% who annually preform amazingly well in the current system how they did it. Most South African universities have a small community of Namibian students, which just shows that when the system really works it produces good quality. I went to public school all my life, my primary school was really shit but I have three degrees and counting to my name. What the minister is doing is like training short distance sprinters and ignoring what Frankie Fredericks advices them to do. Fix the system with the aim of improving quality not increasing passing percentages.

I don't know how this new plan will work especially in Windhoek, Tsumeb, Walvis and Swakopmund where there are up to 6 or seven ethnic backgrounds across all grades.  Separating kid’s at the most crucial stage of their evolution as human beings along ethnic lines is strange, seeing as we already come from ethnically separated communities and originate from regions that are geographically segregated according to ethnicity. If the minister doesn't get it right it will wreck the system beyond repair.

Comments

  1. Anonymous24 April 2014 at 15:21

    Wow, Fillemon! Good points you have right there! I for one, also failed to understand why English as medium of instruction will start only in Grade 6, especially considering that it is the official language of our country. I do not know where they conducted that research that led them to conclude that it is best to start it in Grade 6. I agree with your 3rd suggestion mostly. I know it is good for the children to know their roots, where they come from and all, and maybe that is the reason the Ministry of Education came up with this but if only thy could make it optional. I am sure some parents will now be forced to take their children to private schools because of this!

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  2. Descendant of Beasts25 April 2014 at 16:44

    Thanks. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Only time will tell, the system reshuffle might work and surprise us all but odds are that it will have so many problems that it will never fully be implemented.

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  3. Unknown26 April 2014 at 09:18

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Unknown26 April 2014 at 09:25

    Well put. I'm all for the idea, but the practicality needs to be looked into. The only issue I have with keeping Vernacular languages, as great idea as it is, is that the world is becoming one global community and the more dominant cultures are overshadowing less prominent cultures around the world. The way the world interacts dictates what people want in their lives and what they strive for. If your culture doesn't exemplify your desires, then most people opt to rather pursue their dreams. I love my mother tongue and wish I could have a deeper understanding of it, but from a global perspective, how relevant is it, especially when it comes to how i interact with everyday life. Just like Afrikaans, it's great, but outside Southern Africa, how relevant is it? Vernacular languages will only thrive if we create an environment for them to and/or they are relevant in a self sustaining community. Like Chinese for example, that has it's own market and a person can live their whole life from primary, secondary, tertiary and even adulthood without actually needing something else from other cultures.

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