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Sister Omega
United Kingdom
2085 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Feb 2011 : 00:39:23
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Gambians should continue to use their mother tongue and be educated in it and also learn forgein languages not only French and English but for serious trading opportunities Mandarin and Catonese as these will be of great advantage to those who can speak them for the rest of 21st Century.
As Gamibans generally have an advantage of speaking more than 2 languages learning another one won't be so difficult for those people who are good at linguistics.
Peace
Sister Omega |
Peace
Sister Omega |
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 16 Feb 2011 : 21:37:36
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Yes, Sister
No need to throw the bird in hand, investing i national languages - as well, is brilliant. |
Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 21 Feb 2011 : 12:21:35
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Yes... It is great idea as a long term vision. But there are difficulties.
1. What is the national language? Mandinka, Wolof or else?
2. How would there be a finance? Gambia has already has very low quality of education standards? Literacy rate is 40s, 30s for women. There is no national publication? Most books are imported/copied from English resources.
3. Is there any institution for wolof/mandinka or whatever the language for proper spelling, new words, grammar etc.?
4. How do you manage teaching? We have a village, there are 30 students, 10 mandinka, 10 wolof, 10 others? There is already shortage of teaching resources as national teaching may require double/triple teaching resources to provide quality education.
And what are the other issues?
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diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2011 : 00:53:46
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turk,
you raised valid points, it is a bold move and a difficult task full of problems, it is not going to be a dance on roses. The economy, education, competence-building work hand- in- hand, energized each other and feed of each other. One is not more important than the other, rather they are interdependent. It’s healthier to solve problems on-the-go, rather than falling for the perception of solving one problem before embarking on the next.
For the last 30-40 years the questions of ‘which language’ do we choose has always been the obstacle to progressive discussion anytime the question of language comes up. I assume our role is to encourage by contributing ideas and solutions for advancement.
Inclusive solutions are mostly, if not always, the ones derived from everyday reality; “from bottom up” (as turk may put it).
A possible way forward is to focus on and encourage the practical everyday usage of our languages. There is no need to choose one language above the other. In our quest for solutions we should be mindful not to choose one language above the other hence it would be 'throwing the baby with the bathwater'. This is directly denying other language-life-experiences and existence and indirectly denying a part of Gambia’s identity. Departing from a practical perspective, for example, to allow our languages in parliament, would create the possibility of dealing with everyday reality which would equip us with knowledge to build on an abstraction level favorable for a matured discussion.
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Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 13:26:51
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Another issue, if there is a demand for local languages.
I am currently in Gambia and just visited a private school from Turkey which is opening for 2011/2012. They have a mission. They want to teach Turkish Language, Culture to the Gambian students. As English is the academic language of Gambia, English will be the main language and they will be teaching Turkish as a second language. I asked if there is demand for Turkish, and they mentioned that there are currently 90 Gambians who had received various military training -from short term military training to long term undergraduate/graduate military academy education plus various Gambian students in Turkey. And there are Turkish military personnel and some Turkish families. So there is a demand.
What they said that, Gambian families are more interested in Turkish and French and language training, now school is planning to introduce French as a optional language as well.
So, my question is that:
Are Gambians motivated as you when it comes to local languages? |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 28 Feb 2011 : 00:32:26
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Well, I think there is no conflict or contradiction in learning other languages alongside ones own.
The ability to speak Gambian languages is a prerequisite for understanding the Gambia in its entirety. So, my advice is, the turks should learn to speak Gambia's languages if they want to be effective teachers or effective in whatever their intentions.
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Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
Edited by - Janko on 28 Feb 2011 00:34:11 |
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Lily
United Kingdom
422 Posts |
Posted - 28 Feb 2011 : 09:18:53
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| Of course children should be taught to learn using their own language - it's what happens everywhere else in the world - why disadvantage gambian children? |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2011 : 11:39:30
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Lily
I think there is a consensus, in principle, it is NOT disadvantage in this forum topic. The debate is more like if it is affordable, practical and doable currently in Gambia.
There are nations i.e. Singapore who have Malaysian, Chinese as mother tongue but English is the language of instructions of all level. And it is well known that students from Singapore are one of the most successful students academically in the world. I think in Math and Sciences, they rated top consecutively many years.
Janko
Before you even go Turks who are in private sector, you should more worry about the Nigerians, Ghanaians and Liberians who dominate the public education system in Gambia in every level from KG to senior high school :) It is even more mess when you think about a teacher who speaks Mandinka trying to teach Serere, Aku, Fula speakers.
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diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
Edited by - turk on 04 Mar 2011 11:54:35 |
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2011 : 20:03:27
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We had a debate, here, about why the standard of education is falling in Gambia. I can not find it, you may be able to, there you find some answers to the question of the relation between the inability of teachers in Gambian languages and the low standard of education.
We must be ready to solve the problems that come along, money, complexities and so on. Is better too late than never. |
Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 11:11:12
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Reasons for failure.
- GDP per capita is too low
- Lack of skilled, educated human capital
- Multiple languages which could be problem to deliver educational services even in wealthy countries. With the current resources, it is quite impossible to deliver educational services in multiple languages.
- Lack of effective/efficient Public Management
- Culture that does not value education as much |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 13:15:40
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Whats happening here Turk ?, I agree with your summing up once again,in an IDEAL world then the other concepts would have a place.this is NOT an ideal world though.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 12:20:27
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turk, you are right again in outlining the problems,
we will not let problems paralyse this very noble effort, efterall what is life woth without PROBLEMS. Hence problems are there to be solved, we will move on and take all these problems along the way, nothing is easy.
Interesting that you see no problem with Turkish schools in Gambia.
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Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 13:28:47
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janko
I do not see no problem with 'the Turkish school' in Gambia. In fact, I believe it is a good thing to improve the education standards in Gambia. First of all, it is a private enterprise. It is operating for those who can afford/pay and who can choose. Whatever potential problem you are not pointing out here, has little impact. They are under the regulation of Gambian Government, they are not doing anything different from the curriculum of Gambia. They actually have more Gambian teachers than Turkish. Currently, there are no Turkish teachers are teaching. They have taken this year to observe the Gambian teachers and their approaches. The language instruction is English, like any other schools in Gambia. Turkish language is to be taught as a second language. The organization who build the school by the Islamic Charity organization in Turkey. They are religious organization from Turkey. Other school, Yavuz Selim high school, in Dakar, has been very successful. I know many graduates from this school attending universities in Istanbul. In fact, one of the graduate is actually working on her Master of Economics. There are also, Turkish students attending in these schools. What is better for Gambian students, to study with foreign students in the same class in this global age. It may surprise you but some families/students 'choose' to study in Gambia just for having different experience.
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diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2011 : 16:26:15
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turk,
you remind me of the man who is searching for his coin where there is light and not where he dropped it.
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Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2011 : 10:59:02
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janko
The topic is the education situation of Gambia, not the turk. |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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