The following item from the Windhoek paper, New Era, was seen on AllAfrica.com at http://allafrica.com/stories/200806020667.html and on lgpolicy list. It deals with more language issues in Namibian education than just English.
Namibia: Minister Stresses Importance of English New Era (Windhoek) http://www.newera.com.na/ 2 June 2008 Posted to the web 2 June 2008 Frederick Philander Windhoek Deputy Minister of Education Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo says the importance of the English language locally, nationally and internationally cannot be overemphasized. She was the keynote speaker at a two-day conference of the English Teachers' Association (NETA) at the Polytechnic of Namibia on Friday. "There are Namibian languages that must be developed and used as media of instruction in schools. As a result, a bilingual education system is advocated whereby every learner is expected to do first the mother tongue, plus the official language (English)," Ndjoze-Ojo said. In addition, learners could also choose to do a foreign language such as (French or German etc.) if they so wish. "Language imposition of any language on learners who are mother tongue (e.g. OtjiHerero, OshiNdonga, Nama, etc.) speakers of other languages has been done away with. It is pertinent to stress that this policy, due to linguistic sensitivities and sentimentalism, must be adhered to at all times," she said. According to her the development of indigenous languages has started in earnest. "Eleven languages are already being used as media of instruction in schools. Namibia has adopted the policy of 'Transitional Bilingualism", of an exit model whereby learners are taught through their mother tongue up until Grade Four so that they can develop their academic skills at an early age and thereby build a strong foundation for second language learning. They then switch over to English. However, this policy is currently being reviewed in line with the latest linguistic research that advocates the non-exit model," she asserted. English is the lingua franca in many parts of the world. "Moreover, the importance of English as a library language and the language of commerce cannot be denied. Nevertheless, the need to bring on board the development of indigenous languages and their use as media of instruction in school should be seen as advantageous to the learning of the official language, English," she sad. The key to the development of a nation lies in the hands of educators, because they prepare the upcoming generation to face the challenges of the future. "English teachers therefore have a very important role to play, not just in teaching English and promoting the language, but also in nation-building using language as a tool. English teachers must work extra hard and creatively to improve the level of failure that is worrying all of us," she said. Relevant Links Southern Africa Education Namibia In her view networking is critical. "Often teachers in rural areas find themselves isolated and cannot share their concerns with colleagues. An association will be a good way to bring together teachers from all parts of the country to exchange ideas. Sometimes there are very creative teachers, whose work goes unrecognised because nobody outside of their immediate environment knows about the teaching methods that they use and the successes they obtain. "Networking would be a good way to bring together all teachers, so that they have a sense of connectivity and belonging to an association of which they have ownership and have built it up by contributing to it," she concluded. **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any opinions that are expressed in this message. ********************************************************************** ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
