Challenges of Education: Language Empowerment and Opportunity
Nursery School |
Nursery schools are generally run through a local parish. Not every child attends nursery school, since it is not compulsory. St. Brendan's Parish, where we worked this summer, provided pre-primary education for two groups of children, ages 3-4 and 5-6.
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Primary School |
There is compulsory enrollment in primary school for all children at age seven. Public schools have no tuition, and they teach in Kiswahili; private schools may teach in English. Children are required to enroll for primary education (Standard I through Standard VII) from the ages of 7-13.
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Secondary School |
All students take the Standard VII examination upon completion of primary school. Although passing the exam is not mandatory to continue schooling, only those who pass are eligible to continue at a public government school. Thus, there are many private schools that cater to students who have not passed the Standard VII exam or cater to students who wish to pursue a higher quality of education with better resources. Secondary school is not mandatory for students, and often those who do not pass the Standard VII exam cannot continue with their education due to school fees associated with private schools. All classes are taught in English.
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Trade School |
A Tanzanian trade school is an example of a private school designed to help students who have not passed the Standard VII exam. These programs are generally two or three years long, and graduates can choose to pursue their trade full-time or work to earn money for continuing education. Some trade schools are cheaper than comparable private secondary schools, and families can make the socioeconomic decision to send their children to a trade school for that reason. Learn about Audrey Veldman Vocational Training Center here.
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University |
For students that have completed secondary school, attending university is a rare option. English is the medium of instruction for every class, which prepares students for the global economy. Only a very small percentage of students go on to attend university in Tanzania; the country has a target goal of enrolling 300,000 students in universities by 2015 (Mawinda).
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Roy-Campbell (2001) argues that Africans should be educated in their own language in an effort to empower these native languages; since European languages are used almost exclusively in formal classroom instruction, the respectability of native languages as conveyors of important, high status knowledge is in question. She claims that competency related to modern technology and infrastructure should not be limited by knowledge of a European language. If students do not have a strong base in their non-native language, however, it does not make sense that instruction should be continued in a language they do not understand. Kitete presents a unique situation that marks a blend of Swahili and English instruction, and it is many students' first exposure to the English language.. How do we empower these native languages while preparing students to enter the global stage?
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Should we instead focus on solidifying literacy in Swahili before presenting a new foreign language? It is entirely possible that the same students could easily whiz through physics or biology if it were instructed in a native language; the English language barrier presents a larger issue that I had originally thought. It also makes me wonder the legitimacy of my teaching in English when I could be taking the spot of a more qualified bilingual Swahili-English teacher who could help the students better. -Excerpt from my journal, Day 37
Although we consistently struggle with the language barrier here, the students love it when we speak Swahili, and they appear more comfortable trying English when they see us completely butchering their native language. It's been fun to try! Ninajaribu! -Excerpt from my journal, Day 22