Fault May Be With Learners

WITH reference to Methusalem Nakale’s letter dated 3 August, I would like to say the following: Being a teacher of English myself, I know exactly what you are talking about regarding the standard of English encountered all around us today, both in speech and in writing, and unfortunately also with school leavers.

However, it is not fair to blame only the schools for that. As you rightly say, some schools are doing an excellent job – but even these schools have problems with certain learners that just will not learn certain things, no matter how many times and by how many different teachers they have been taught the same basic things over and over (such as for instance the example you gave of spelling ‘writing’ with only one t, or the knowledge of even the most common irregular verbs, or the basics about sentence structure, etc.) It is as if these learners either can’t learn or don’t think it necessary to.One factor is that while learners (at least those at the ‘good schools’) practise ‘good’ English in the classroom, they continue to hear and read ‘Namilish’ all around them, not to mention slang and SMS language… Sometimes one feels it is a losing battle trying to eradicate all these influences from their speaking and writing.Another factor is the general lack of a ‘learning culture’ among many of our learners, due partly to the fact that parents often do not provide the right environment and/or encouragement at home, and partly due to the fact that ‘education is now a right’ and need therefore not be striven for anymore – unfortunately these days children are continually taught their ‘rights’ with hardly ever a mention of their responsibilities.A third factor may be that the daily information/stimulus overload by radio and TV makes today’s learners increasingly unable to really take in and process much of what they hear or see every day, so that much of what they learn at school does not ‘sink in’ and last for longer than the next text or exam.If you want to blame our education system, please don’t forget the role of the ‘powers that be’ in lowering the standard by such measures as:- encouraging the neglect of teaching and practising language skills in favour of the Communicative Approach, reflected in both text books and external exam papers – making the pass rate a mere 30% – (I shudder to think of possibly being treated by a doctor or nurse who knows only 30% of his/her job… ) – forcing schools to transfer certain learners into the next grade even though they have not mastered the knowledge and skills taught in the current grade – esp. grade 11-12. – raising the marks of grade 10 (and grade 12?) learners at the end of the year in order to achieve a certain national pass rate and the list goes on.Teaching English is an uphill battle all the way, every day, and it is a long process, the fruits of which are often seen only years later when the learners’ (some learners’?) subconscious has finally processed all the input and practice to enable the penny to drop! Let us not give up hope…Fellow Teacher TsumebAs you rightly say, some schools are doing an excellent job – but even these schools have problems with certain learners that just will not learn certain things, no matter how many times and by how many different teachers they have been taught the same basic things over and over (such as for instance the example you gave of spelling ‘writing’ with only one t, or the knowledge of even the most common irregular verbs, or the basics about sentence structure, etc.) It is as if these learners either can’t learn or don’t think it necessary to.One factor is that while learners (at least those at the ‘good schools’) practise ‘good’ English in the classroom, they continue to hear and read ‘Namilish’ all around them, not to mention slang and SMS language… Sometimes one feels it is a losing battle trying to eradicate all these influences from their speaking and writing.Another factor is the general lack of a ‘learning culture’ among many of our learners, due partly to the fact that parents often do not provide the right environment and/or encouragement at home, and partly due to the fact that ‘education is now a right’ and need therefore not be striven for anymore – unfortunately these days children are continually taught their ‘rights’ with hardly ever a mention of their responsibilities.A third factor may be that the daily information/stimulus overload by radio and TV makes today’s learners increasingly unable to really take in and process much of what they hear or see every day, so that much of what they learn at school does not ‘sink in’ and last for longer than the next text or exam.If you want to blame our education system, please don’t forget the role of the ‘powers that be’ in lowering the standard by such measures as:- encouraging the neglect of teaching and practising language skills in favour of the Communicative Approach, reflected in both text books and external exam papers – making the pass rate a mere 30% – (I shudder to think of possibly being treated by a doctor or nurse who knows only 30% of his/her job… ) – forcing schools to transfer certain learners into the next grade even though they have not mastered the knowledge and skills taught in the current grade – esp. grade 11-12. – raising the marks of grade 10 (and grade 12?) learners at the end of the year in order to achieve a certain national pass rate and the list goes on.Teaching English is an uphill battle all the way, every day, and it is a long process, the fruits of which are often seen only years later when the learners’ (some learners’?) subconscious has finally processed all the input and practice to enable the penny to drop! Let us not give up hope…Fellow Teacher Tsumeb