Case study: Waliosoma english medium ni "wazuri" kuliko waliosoma shule za kawaida

[Hayajamani]

Hivi Kiswahili ni lugha yetu ya asili au tumeamua kuifanya yetu tu? Kwangu Kiswahili na Kingereza vyoto vina tamaduni za nje

 

[HMS]

I have never studied at an English Medium School before the secondary level, and even during secondary, tambaza, while sitting next to IST, was no IST.Olympio and IST notwithstanding, the craze was simply not conceived then, at least en masse. I briefly taught at one English Medium though, so I should have some first hand experience. I am told by native speakers - sometimes with offending, though genuine, astonishment where perhaps elation on my part was expected, that my verbal and written English is devoid of some telltale signs that are a characteristic of our national issues with this rather strange tongue.

In scientific research, one pitfall to be avoided is to take correlation as causation.

Perhaps it was my home library, love for American broadcasts through ABC (shouts out to Peter Jennings) and later CNN through CTN, Yo! MTV Rap and American comedy tapes, comic books, love of literature etc that propelled my ability to a passably acceptable diction if not outright Dickensian maestro level in using the english language.

This brings about a very important point.

Are we associating the advantage we see from children in a certain socioeconomic bracket, the ones who can afford to go to an English Medium school but are heavily augmented by other factors at home, purely to the English medium schools?

How come I did not need an English Medium school to be rather comfortable than the average Tanzanian using this strange tongue and boosting my other social virtues mentioned above?

Am I that exceptionally gifted? Not so sure. My mom spoke French with ease, in Tanzania at that, so it's possible there could be some natural advantages with languages, but I doubt that.

My bottom line question is, if we are attributing the success to the english medium schools, since correlation does not equal causation, can we pin down the success to the english medium schools? For example by conducting a study of relatively well off children (similar to those who go to english medium schools) who are not going to english medium schools but are augmented by the same environment at home? Are there any more of those? Or is our society so stratified nowadays that this species is endangered if not extinct already?

Otherwise, the cause of the difference may lay at home, and even the thinking that making all primary schools english medium, without raising the standard of living for all, and therefore the augmenting home environment, will amount to an exercise in futility.

English is better mate since we use it all way long in higher school and work, we need it from primary to make our tongue easier expressing and to a better understanding, having Swahili just at primary and not using further more studying at secondary, its no point from first place, it's worth ----le, you know what I mean?. anyways, In the End, we are who we are. By the way, your English is sweet, hope your accent is just as good as you expressed (its not a compliment dude) but I still owe you one, lol.

 

[HMS]

Brilliant argument but still not convincing, cutting out the flowery words in your post it is sufficient to say you are just an outlier, an exception to a general observed trend in our society. Generally speaking, it is not even something worth arguing over given the insurmountable mountain of evidence pointing to the advantage the fortunate ones who have gone to English Medium Schools have compared to Swahili Medium Schools(Public Schools).
In your case, you were fortunate enough to be brought in an 'English-friendly environment'. Not so many can be that lucky given that Swahili dominates our environment.
In a sample specimen of lets say a hundred Tanzanians, you are likely to meet very few with an upbringing that comes close or relate to yours.
Ceteris paribus, English medium schools' students have an advantage over the swahili medium schools' students.

una point nzuri lakini we jamaa kingereza chako yaan mpaka nakuhurumia, usishike dictionary na kukariri maneno, unataka kujua kingereza vizuri, zama kwenye muvy zao na muziki, usikariri vitini na dictionary, it's totally off. samahani kama ntakua nimekukera au kukukwaza, ni maoni yngu tu ili ufanikiwe zaidi kwenye uandishi na kuongea boss.

 

[Visenti]

Kuna uhusiano gani kati ya kiingereza na ujuzi(knowledges),utadi(skills) za mtu?
Germany(nchi inayoongoza uchumi Europe) kijerumani ndo lugha ya taifa
China,Japan,Scandinavia countries,French wanatumia lugha zao still ziko developed
Mimi nashauri kwenye interviews,madarasani etc watu wapimwe kutokana na uwezo wao wa kufikiria(IQ) na sio English

UMESEMA UKWELI KABISA, LUGHA YA KINGEREZA SIYO SULUHISHO LA KUBORESHA USHINDANI KTK SOKO LA AJIRA, mimi kiingereza changu cha kuongea ni POOR - AVERAGE, lakini ni kiwango ambacho ninawazidi Wajerumani , Waholanzi, Wagiriki, Wajapani na Warussi ndyo kabisa kule naweza kuajiliwa nikawa Mwalimu wa kiingereza chuo kikuu, ukiancha waingereza wenyewe, wananchi ambao ni wasomi ktk nchi nyingi za Ulaya Ki-english chao ni cha kuungaunga tu, lakini wako vizuri sana ktk fani zao walizosomea?

 

[Kiranga]

English is better mate since we use it all way long in higher school and work, we need it from primary to make our tongue easier expressing and to a better understanding, having Swahili just at primary and not using further more studying at secondary, its no point from first place, it's worth ----le, you know what I mean?. anyways, In the End, we are who we are. By the way, your English is sweet, hope your accent is just as good as you expressed (its not a compliment dude) but I still owe you one, lol.

Obviously, you either have not understood the mere gist of my post, or did not address it, possibly both.

I haven't said whether English or Swahili is better. In a globalized workforce, English is a tool that one can certainly not ignore.

My point is, for those who think that English is better, how sure can they be that this advance we see among some in English is due to the English medium schools and not the home environment and other factors that is ascribed to those in the socioeconomic bracket that could afford to go to English medium schools?

I noted that correlation does not equal causation.

 

[kudundu]

Sikubaliani name we we kwa asilimia zaidi ya mia

 

[Kiranga]

UMESEMA UKWELI KABISA, LUGHA YA KINGEREZA SIYO SULUHISHO LA KUBORESHA USHINDANI KTK SOKO LA AJIRA, mimi kiingereza changu cha kuongea ni POOR - AVERAGE, lakini ni kiwango ambacho ninawazidi Wajerumani , Waholanzi, Wagiriki, Wajapani na Warussi ndyo kabisa kule naweza kuajiliwa nikawa Mwalimu wa kiingereza chuo kikuu, ukiancha waingereza wenyewe, wananchi ambao ni wasomi ktk nchi nyingi za Ulaya Ki-english chao ni cha kuungaunga tu, lakini wako vizuri sana ktk fani zao walizosomea?

Mimi ni mshabiki na mpenzi wa Kiswahili kwa sana, nishakichambua Kiingereza na kukiona hakina logic kama Kiswahili, kwa kutumia nukuu za George Bernard Shaw at that. Nonetheless, kujilinganisha na Wajerumani, Wagiriki, Wajapani, Warusi is a bit of a stretch.

Mjerumani anaweza kusema hahitaji sana Kiingereza kwa sababu akitaka gari liliotengenezwa Ujerumani, lenye manuals za Kijerumani na system yote iwe imeandikwa Kijerumani anaweza kupata.

Scratch gari, anaweza kupata mitambo ya kiwanda cha kutengenezea gari iliyoandikwa kwa Kijerumani tu.

Sie tumeshatengeneza microwave oven yenye manual na dials za Kiswahili?

 

[Lonestriker]

una point nzuri lakini we jamaa kingereza chako yaan mpaka nakuhurumia, usishike dictionary na kukariri maneno, unataka kujua kingereza vizuri, zama kwenye muvy zao na muziki, usikariri vitini na dictionary, it's totally off. samahani kama ntakua nimekukera au kukukwaza, ni maoni yngu tu ili ufanikiwe zaidi kwenye uandishi na kuongea boss.

Asante kwa kunihurumia lakini kunihurumia bila kunisahisha hainisaidii kitu. Nasubiri masahisho yako. Kama unaamini Kiranga alijifunza lugha kutokana na movies na nyimbo za Marekani (labda kuna tofauti kati ya 'movies' na 'muvy' kama ulivyoandika) nashindwa jinsi ya kuuchukulia ushauri wako. Kiranga anaweza kuwa alipata mwanga mkubwa wa lugha kutoka kwenye filamu za marekani lakini bottomline Kiranga ANASOMA na ANAPENDA KUSOMA. Acha porojo za filamu.

 

[Hayajamani]

Ni kweli, nakubaliana na mtoa hoja. Zamani ndio ilikuwa sio tija sana wakati shule za serikali zikiwa na waalimu na vifaa walau mpaka mwishoni wa 199_. Lakini kwa hizi shule za kata na walimu wa crash program ni bora english medium

 

[Kiranga]

Asante kwa kunihurumia lakini kunihurumia bila kunisahisha hainisaidii kitu. Nasubiri masahisho yako. Kama unaamini Kiranga alijifunza lugha kutokana na movies na nyimbo za Marekani (labda kuna tofauti kati ya 'movies' na 'muvy' kama ulivyoandika) nashindwa jinsi ya kuuchukulia ushauri wako. Kiranga anaweza kuwa alipata mwanga mkubwa wa lugha kutoka kwenye filamu za marekani lakini bottomline Kiranga ANASOMA na ANAPENDA KUSOMA. Acha porojo za filamu.

Kama nilieleweka kwamba nimejifunza lugha kwa movies na muziki tu, hilo ni kosa. Nimeeleza kuhusu literature. Nimesoma kuanzia the pulp fiction of Mills & Boon mpaka James Hadley Chase, kuanzia mashairi kama "The Ancient Mariner" mpaka Joyce's "Ulysses" na Homer's "The Illiad", Stephen Hawkins mpaka Ian Fleming, Robert Ludlum mpaka Jeffrey Archer, Frederick Forsyth mpaka Maeve Binchy kabla ya ku graduate O-Levels nikawa nishamaliza my quota of fiction for three lifetimes (labda ndio maana sisomi fiction sana siku hizi).

Kwa hiyo hii notion kwamba Kiranga amejifunza Kiingereza kwenye MTV na CNN is a half truth.

Shout out to Julius Mushi who always had a soft heart for any Tambazan mischief, so long as it was commited with a novel in one's hand.

I will always remember what he used to say "Never get caught with time on your hands and no good book to read".

With all these gizmos nowadays, I am thankful to be able to carry an entire library with me.

 

[Kiranga]

Ni kweli, nakubaliana na mtoa hoja. Zamani ndio ilikuwa sio tija sana wakati shule za serikali zikiwa na waalimu na vifaa walau mpaka mwishoni wa 199_. Lakini kwa hizi shule za kata na walimu wa crash program ni bora english medium

Hii ni point muhimu sana katika kuijibu kwa sehemu ndogo hoja yangu ya "imekuwaje Kiranga aliyesoma shule za serikali kaweza angalau Kiingereza cha kuombea maji halafu wanafunzi wa leo washindwe vibaya kabisa".

Kile ambacho ningependa kujua ni kuona wanafunzi wanaotoka katika socioeconomic backround ya kuweza kumudu kusoma English medium, ambao hawasomi English medium, uwezo wao wa kusema na kuandika kiingereza ukoje?

That is assuming there is such a crowd remaining.

 

[The Monk]

Najua tunapenda kiswahili kitumike kufundishia mashuleni lakini kwa mfumo wa elimu yetu uliopo, hupatakua na tija.
Nakubaliana na Tuko kwa kiasi fulani juu ya umuhimu wa watoto kusoma english medium kwa sababu:-

1. Masomo ya sekondari yanafundishwa kiingereza, na jinsi unavyokua na uelewa mkubwa wa lugha ina maana utaelewa zaidi kinachofundishwa.

2. Jamii yetu kwa asilimia kubwa tunaongea kiswahili, hii inafanya mtoto anaesoma shule za kawaida kuwa na kazi ya ziada kuwa vizuri kwenye kiingereza kutokana na mazingira yanayotuzunguka. (Kuna nchi watu wanaongea kiingereza kiasi kwamba hata kama hujaenda shule, lazima tu utaongea kiingereza kwa sababu asilimia kubwa wanakitumia)

Kwa kuwa tunafanya kazi na makampuni ya watu binafsi kutoka mataifa mbalimbali na kwa kuwa kiingereza ndio lugha inayotumiwa na makampuni hayo kuanzia kwenye usaili, ni wazi kwamba watu wenye uwezo wa kutumia kiingereza vizuri wataonekana kupata kipaumbele kwenye kuchaguiwa kupata kazi hata kama uwezo wao kiutendaji sio mzuri, wakati wa usaili hakuna muda wa kuonyesha ueledi wako wa kazi kwa vitendo. Unachofanya ni kuwashawishi tu kwamba uko safi.

Kama tunataka tutumie kiswahili mashuleni, inabidi tubadili mfumo wote wa elimu, tuweke msisitizo kwenye vitu vichache tunavyoviweza. Kwa mfano kuwafundisha watu Kilimo, Ufugaji, Ujasiriamali kwa kiswahili ni rahisi ukilinganisha na kufundisha masomo kama ya elektroniki, kompyuta, kwa kiswahili (Huwezi kukwepa kiingereza kwenye hayo masomo).

Ni kweli kiingereza hakimaanishi ufanisi au utendaji bora wa kazi lakini kina umuhimu sana kwenye kukupa ujasiri kwenye jamii na maeneo ya kazi.

 

[Mjuni Lwambo]

Mmmmh!!!, we jamaa kwa kizungu ni noma, I am proud you can speak my mother tongue.

I have never studied at an English Medium School before the secondary level, and even during secondary, tambaza, while sitting next to IST, was no IST.Olympio and IST notwithstanding, the craze was simply not conceived then, at least en masse. I briefly taught at one English Medium though, so I should have some first hand experience. I am told by native speakers - sometimes with offending, though genuine, astonishment where perhaps elation on my part was expected, that my verbal and written English is devoid of some telltale signs that are a characteristic of our national issues with this rather strange tongue.

In scientific research, one pitfall to be avoided is to take correlation as causation.

Perhaps it was my home library, love for American broadcasts through ABC (shouts out to Peter Jennings) and later CNN through CTN, Yo! MTV Rap and American comedy tapes, comic books, love of literature etc that propelled my ability to a passably acceptable diction if not outright Dickensian maestro level in using the english language.

This brings about a very important point.

Are we associating the advantage we see from children in a certain socioeconomic bracket, the ones who can afford to go to an English Medium school but are heavily augmented by other factors at home, purely to the English medium schools?

How come I did not need an English Medium school to be rather comfortable than the average Tanzanian using this strange tongue and boosting my other social virtues mentioned above?

Am I that exceptionally gifted? Not so sure. My mom spoke French with ease, in Tanzania at that, so it's possible there could be some natural advantages with languages, but I doubt that.

My bottom line question is, if we are attributing the success to the english medium schools, since correlation does not equal causation, can we pin down the success to the english medium schools? For example by conducting a study of relatively well off children (similar to those who go to english medium schools) who are not going to english medium schools but are augmented by the same environment at home? Are there any more of those? Or is our society so stratified nowadays that this species is endangered if not extinct already?

Otherwise, the cause of the difference may lay at home, and even the thinking that making all primary schools english medium, without raising the standard of living for all, and therefore the augmenting home environment, will amount to an exercise in futility.

 

[Swadataa]

"Da watu mnatema ung'eng'e kama hamna akili nzuri".

Basi nakiogopa kiingereza nisije semwa sina akili nzuri.

 

[Kiranga]

Mmmmh!!!, we jamaa kwa kizungu ni noma, I am proud you can speak my mother tongue.

Bebe nang'ho!

Sio hatari wala nini, cha kawaida tu. Tatizo inawezekana viwango vyetu viko chini sana kiasi mtu anayeandika Kiingereza cha kawaida tu, kisicho exceptional in any way lakini kizuri, kinaonekana cha juu sana.

Hakuna shortcut, kusoma sana, kujifunza sana, kujenga msuli wa msamiati na ufasaha kwa miaka nenda miaka rudi, mawazo ya uchunguzi ambayo hayatachoshwa na mfumo wa ajabu wa lugha hii, matokeo yatajionesha.

Halafu kama alivyosema mdau hapo juu, zamani kidogo unaweza kumkuta Mwalimu Lulindi kaingia darasani anaanza kukueleza kuhusu Socrates na falsafa zake (form one hapo), unataka kujua zaidi huyu Socrates alikuwa nani, unakuta vitabu vyote vinavyomuelezea Socrates ni vya Kiingereza, na wewe unataka kujua, inabidi usome tu, hata kama kwa kamusi pembeni.

Siku hizi shule za kata unaweza kukuta huyo mwalimu mwenyewe wa vodafasta hajawahi kumsikia Socrates!

 

[Mjuni Lwambo]

I am college graduate, lakini sasa hivi ukija nyumbani kwangu utakuta Vitabu kadhaa vya James Hadley Chase, yaani ndio nimeanza kuvisoma hata mwaka haujaisha, Nimeshangaa sana nilisoma kuwa wewe ulivimaliza hata kabla ya kumaliza O-LEVEL( These are more than 88 books), you deserve the English you have.

OLI LI SHINO NKOYI.

Bebe nang'ho!

Sio hatari wala nini, cha kawaida tu. Tatizo inawezekana viwango vyetu viko chini sana kiasi mtu anayeandika Kiingereza cha kawaida tu, kisicho exceptional in any way lakini kizuri, kinaonekana cha juu sana.

Hakuna shortcut, kusoma sana, kujifunza sana, kujenga msuli wa msamiati na ufasaha kwa miaka nenda miaka rudi, mawazo ya uchunguzi ambayo hayatachoshwa na mfumo wa ajabu wa lugha hii, matokeo yatajionesha.

Halafu kama alivyosema mdau hapo juu, zamani kidogo unaweza kumkuta Mwalimu Lulindi kaingia darasani anaanza kukueleza kuhusu Socrates na falsafa zake (form one hapo), unataka kujua zaidi huyu Socrates alikuwa nani, unakuta vitabu vyote vinavyomuelezea Socrates ni vya Kiingereza, na wewe unataka kujua, inabidi usome tu, hata kama kwa kamusi pembeni.

Siku hizi shule za kata unaweza kukuta huyo mwalimu mwenyewe wa vodafasta hajawahi kumsikia Socrates!

 

[Mjuni Lwambo]

"Da watu mnatema ung'eng'e kama hamna akili nzuri".

Basi nakiogopa kiingereza nisije semwa sina akili nzuri.

Kuna watu wanapiga kingereza acha bhana, huwezi amini kama ni mbongo I see, mpaka akiandika kisukuma ndio unaweza kuamini, ni noma sana.

 

[shaurimbaya]

Mtoa mada upo sahihi kabisa..

Kiswahili kimechangia sana kutunyima confidence watanzania na hata wawekezaji wanatuona vichwa maji..

Hakuna chochote wakenya wanachotuzidi zaidi ya lugha ya malkia..

Lakini cheki sasa wakenya walivyojaa Tanzania katika makampuni ya kigeni kuchukua nafasi zetu..

Nenda kafanye utafiti na Kenya kuna watanzania wangapi waliochukua nafasi za wakenya..

Watoto wa english medium wana advantage sana sokoni hata kama ni average student..

Ukimchukua mtu aliyesoma kayumba ambae ni kichwa kweli kweli like To na then umchukue average student aliyesoma english medium then uwapambanishe katika usahili, kazi, kujiamini, kujenga hoja etc uone nani mshindi kama sio academia..

Mifano hai ipo kibao bila hata majungu

 

[Kiranga]

I am college graduate, lakini sasa hivi ukija nyumbani kwangu utakuta Vitabu kadhaa vya James Hadley Chase, yaani ndio nimeanza kuvisoma hata mwaka haujaisha, Nimeshangaa sana nilisoma kuwa wewe ulivimaliza hata kabla ya kumaliza O-LEVEL( These are more than 88 books), you deserve the English you have.

OLI LI SHINO NKOYI.

Now now now now, namaanisha nilimaliza kusoma vitabu fulani vya Chase.

Ningevipata vyote probably ningeweza kuvimaliza, lakini sikubahatika kuvipata vyote. Chase had that page turning style ambayo nilikuwa naipenda sana, it is addictive.

Sasa mtu kama wewe una vitabu hivyo, kama una watoto hapo nyumbani, wanaanza kuona mazingira ya vitabu nyumbani (although some of the Chase covers are not exactly child friendly, but in any case I am referring to books in general).

Kwa mtoto mdadisi, yale mazingira ya nyumbani yanaweza kuwa stimulant kubwa ya kujua lugha kuliko hata shuleni.

Mimi nakumbuka nilivyokuwa mdogo nilikuwa nasoma mpaka Engineering plans zilizokuwa nyumbani, sasa hapo mtu unaanza kupata udadisi kuhusu hizi plans zinasomwaje, hivi vialama vina maana gani etc kabla hujajua trigonometry.

Ndiyo maana naona umuhimu wa kuhoji hii dhana ya kutafsiri "watoto wanaoenda english medium wanajua zaidi kiingereza" kumaanisha kwamba english medium schools zinawapa advantage ya kujua zaidi kiingereza.

Obviously kufundishwa kwa kiingereza kunachangia, lakini kwa kiwango gani? Na kiwango gani kinachangiwa na mazingira ya nyumbani?

Inawezekana mtu kwao wana Time Magazine subscription, akiwa bored anajisomea, anajenga msamiati na uelewa wa Kiingereza, halafu akija kuonekana anajua, sifa zinaenda kwenye english medium school.

 

[ITEGAMATWI]

Ukisema Shule za English Medium zinatoa wanafunzi competent kwa kuwa walimu wake ni wazuri kwa kuwa wanalipwa vizuri na miundombinu ya kusomea ni mizuri zaidi ukicompare na st Kayumba nitakuelewa! Lakini ukisema kwa sababu ya Kiingereza hapo sikubaliani na wewe hata kidogo, maana kama jitu bomu hata liongee kiingereza kiasi gani kama halijui vitu ni halijui vitu tu.

Ushauri wako kwa serikali ungekuwa ni kuboresha miundombinu ya kusomea ikiwemo na maslahi mazuri kwa walimu na Kuabadili sifa wanazozitumia sasa kupata walimu hapo nitakuelewa.