Thursday 6 January 2011
A CASE FOR KISWAHILI
By ndolo asasa Esq.
In the year that Kiswahili got recognized at the highest legal level, constitutionally, for the first time in Kenya, it also got the poorest performance trend not only measured versus itself but also versus the other subjects at basic education examination level! This is both a big shame and a sharp wake up call to the nation Kenya.
My take is that the pupils performed poorly. It is not the marking that was poor.
This conclusion is premised on the reality that;
1. Teachers are pumping the pupils with kiswahili terminologies (istilahi) in the name of teaching msamiati.
2. Time allocated to teaching and use Kiswahili language both in class and outside class been kept to below bare minimum.
3. No extra-curricula activity is conducted in Kiswahili in addition to the expectation that only Kiswahili teachers should be speaking the language and only during Kiswahili classes.
4. The instructional and teaching books are almost exclusively developed by graduates and post-graduates – who do not and may never have taught pupils in their career development.
In addition, the larger population has urged on Kiswahili to mediocrity by;
a. Lowering the threshold of speaking Kiswahili. When someone, be it a child or adult, speaks in poor Kiswahili it is considered comedy; but if the same person does so in English or French, we frown, reprimand and effortlessly correct them!
b. Poor Kiswahili is accepted as being social, ya kuomba maji, and Kiswahili sanifu (good Kiswahili) is considered ya insha (for exams)!
c. The myriad radio stations, including, KBC-Idhaa ya taifa, churn out taarifa scripted in bad Kiswahili (news reports); conduct interviews in bad Kiswahili and take pride in playing and replaying songs and political statements made in bad Kiswahili. ACTUALLY, they seem to have a policy not to showcase good Kiswahili speeches and oratory!
d. The biggest barbs go to our political and administrative leadership.
I propose;
1) The starting point be that the new constitution be applied to the letter.
That Kiswahili being constitutionally THE ONLY NATIONAL language and the FIRST official language, all national occasions including holidays, state of the nation address, national communications by the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, Constitutional Offices and Ministers be addressed in Kiswahili and the off-cuff remarks made in English!
2) All instructional materials for pupils be re-evaluated and revised accordingly.
3) The basic education curriculum be revised anon to take into cognizant and reflect the status of Kiswahili as envisioned and recognized in the new constitution.
4) Set-up and fund a Kiswahili Institute as a national responsibility. This has successfully been done by France, Saudi Arabia, China, Italy among others for the promotion of French, Arabic, Chinese and Italiano respectively.
I will be listening for the first state-of-the-nation address parliament by President Kibaki when it reconvenes for the first time under the New Constitution that puts Kiswahili on an unprecedented high national and official pedestal
Kiswahili Kitukuzwe, au sio? Tujivunie lugha yetu ya pekee ya Kitaifa na awali katika urasmi nchini Kenya!
http://ndoloasasa.blogspot.com/
6th January 2011.
In the year that Kiswahili got recognized at the highest legal level, constitutionally, for the first time in Kenya, it also got the poorest performance trend not only measured versus itself but also versus the other subjects at basic education examination level! This is both a big shame and a sharp wake up call to the nation Kenya.
My take is that the pupils performed poorly. It is not the marking that was poor.
This conclusion is premised on the reality that;
1. Teachers are pumping the pupils with kiswahili terminologies (istilahi) in the name of teaching msamiati.
2. Time allocated to teaching and use Kiswahili language both in class and outside class been kept to below bare minimum.
3. No extra-curricula activity is conducted in Kiswahili in addition to the expectation that only Kiswahili teachers should be speaking the language and only during Kiswahili classes.
4. The instructional and teaching books are almost exclusively developed by graduates and post-graduates – who do not and may never have taught pupils in their career development.
In addition, the larger population has urged on Kiswahili to mediocrity by;
a. Lowering the threshold of speaking Kiswahili. When someone, be it a child or adult, speaks in poor Kiswahili it is considered comedy; but if the same person does so in English or French, we frown, reprimand and effortlessly correct them!
b. Poor Kiswahili is accepted as being social, ya kuomba maji, and Kiswahili sanifu (good Kiswahili) is considered ya insha (for exams)!
c. The myriad radio stations, including, KBC-Idhaa ya taifa, churn out taarifa scripted in bad Kiswahili (news reports); conduct interviews in bad Kiswahili and take pride in playing and replaying songs and political statements made in bad Kiswahili. ACTUALLY, they seem to have a policy not to showcase good Kiswahili speeches and oratory!
d. The biggest barbs go to our political and administrative leadership.
I propose;
1) The starting point be that the new constitution be applied to the letter.
That Kiswahili being constitutionally THE ONLY NATIONAL language and the FIRST official language, all national occasions including holidays, state of the nation address, national communications by the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, Constitutional Offices and Ministers be addressed in Kiswahili and the off-cuff remarks made in English!
2) All instructional materials for pupils be re-evaluated and revised accordingly.
3) The basic education curriculum be revised anon to take into cognizant and reflect the status of Kiswahili as envisioned and recognized in the new constitution.
4) Set-up and fund a Kiswahili Institute as a national responsibility. This has successfully been done by France, Saudi Arabia, China, Italy among others for the promotion of French, Arabic, Chinese and Italiano respectively.
I will be listening for the first state-of-the-nation address parliament by President Kibaki when it reconvenes for the first time under the New Constitution that puts Kiswahili on an unprecedented high national and official pedestal
Kiswahili Kitukuzwe, au sio? Tujivunie lugha yetu ya pekee ya Kitaifa na awali katika urasmi nchini Kenya!
http://ndoloasasa.blogspot.com/
6th January 2011.
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