A few weeks before I left the States, I was talking to an old work buddy about my upcoming assignment as an English teacher in Tanzania. His first question was, "do they want English there?" He was referring to the all-to-common issue of misapplied international aid, that is, people from the West promoting ideas about development which local people may not even want. It was a good question, which I didn't have an answer to at the time. I think I have a better idea now, but the answer isn't simple.
A little Tanzania background info is necessary here. First let me say I'm no East African history professor; what I've written here is what I've gleaned from talking to people here about their history.
Tanzania's school system is descended from the one created by German and British colonialists. Rote learning (i.e. repetition and memorization) was the method used in those early schools, and not much has changed since Tanzania gained independence. I can't really blame local education officials; the resources and teacher training to change the schools into something better haven't been available. Western-style schools and education are relatively young here and most teachers have never seen examples of alternate ways to teach. So we still have a system where students are lectured to and told to copy long notes from the board. Problem solving skills and inquisitiveness are not encouraged. This teaching style is so widely accepted that it's hard to encourage people to do anything differently.
One of the big successes of the schools has been the universal acceptance of Kiswahili as a national language. Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania, wanted to create national unity between a multitude of ethnic groups which spoke a variety of tribal languages. Kiswahili was widely spoken on the coast and in Zanzibar, and teachers were sent all over the country to teach in schools. Many Tanzanians now speak Kiswahili as a second language, and many children are brought up speaking only Kiswahili (it's an open debate if this is national progress or the destruction of ethnic language).
Somewhere along the line it was decided that teaching English in schools was important (I suspect that this had to do with a bit with Kenya. Kenya pushed English in schools early, and saw greater national economic success. I don't know if these two things are related, but people here perceive that they are). So the system was changed to what we have today; English is taught as a subject in primary schools, and in secondary schools all subjects are taught in English (except Kiswahili and Arabic). This was an ambitious overhaul, and in my opinion, it's been a grand failure (this is a topic of heated debate). The first problem is that there weren't enough qualified English teachers to make the transition successful. In primary school, kids learn English badly (or don't learn English at all) and then in secondary school are expected to learn all subjects in a language they don't understand. The reality is that most secondary school teachers have not followed the English mandate; they teach in Kiswahili because they and their students are more comfortable with it. This helps the students learn, but the catch is that the high school exit exams are in English. It's sink or swim: learn English or fail everything. I've seen this up close and personal; a secondary school student friend of mine recently failed every subject except Kiswahili and Arabic. It's a common story. He's not a dumb kid; the system has failed him.
Wow. Lotsa background info, and I feel like I just scratched the surface. So what is Dave actually doing every day? My main work is to address (in my small way) two major teacher needs: English skills and teaching methods training. Peace Corps assigned me to a teacher's college, and 4 days a week I teach English classes and methodology classes. Each is difficult in its own way. The English is difficult because we have three goals to meet; my students need to improve their English skills, they need to be prepared to teach those skills to students, and they also need to be prepared to pass national college exit exams (which in my opinion are poorly written and don't test for the skills my students need). So I'm facing a common teacher's dilemma- teach to the test or teach functional knowledge? As much as I dislike the tests, I can't ignore them because my students need to pass them to get their certificates.
Teaching a methodology course is difficult for me simply because I have so little teaching experience. Some days I wish I had been assigned to a secondary school like most of my Peace Corps peers. Frankly my students deserve someone with years of teaching background. But on better days I realize that methodology is probably the way I'm having the biggest impact here. Most of my students have been through the rote learning system their whole lives. They've never had a teacher who encourages any kind of classroom interaction or critical thinking. How could they ever teach interactively if they've never observed it? In this light, I think it's good just for me to be in class every day, showing them there's a different way to do things than to just memorize facts.
I've been encouraged over the last few weeks; my students are out at schools around the island for 5 weeks doing teaching practicals. I've been visiting schools, observing lessons, and offering student teachers my advice. I've been encouraged to see many of them attempting to use interactive, critical thinking activities in class. Some do this very well. Others are off to a bumpy start, but I try to compliment them on their effort and give them some helpful tips to improve. Seeing these student teachers make an honest effort to try something new is really encouraging to me, and makes me feel like what I'm teaching isn't falling on deaf ears.
I've also been working with my two VSO friends, Les and Juanito, on an English and methodology training in several secondary schools around Pemba. While my main project is working with student teachers, this training is being offered to career teachers who have already been in the field for some time. This project comes with a whole different set of duties and challenges; I'm acting as a supervisor, and yet trying to be encouraging rather than an enforcer of rules; I'm handling the money that supports the training, yet trying to avoid being seen as a cashbox.
My third project is one that is very easy to be happy about. Les and I have been working with some young men in the community who want to improve their conversational English. They've shared with us a new perspective on why English hasn't been successful in Tanzania. In Kenya, English is COOL. Friends will speak it to each other on the street to show camaraderie. In Tanzania, English has been relegated to a more formal role; it's used by politicians and businessmen. These young men we work with have made an agreement with us that if we will hold conversational classes with them, they'll make a commitment to speak English with each other on the street. Les and I stipulated that they've got to practice outside of our meetings, simply because if they only speak English with the volunteers living temporarily in the area, then they'll stop once we leave, and it won't be sustainable. This project is the easiest to feel happy about, I think because it came out of the enthusiasm of local people who just want a boost from us to be able to achieve something they want.
Sometimes I have to ask myself a question similar to the one posed by my friend about English teaching: Am I offering something that people really want? I think I can say yes. The desire for English is here. I can't count the times people have stopped me on the street asking me to teach them English. The question is really if English is the right thing for them. Sometimes I think Tanzania has placed too much stock in English as a solution to their economic problems. Sometimes I wonder if by teaching English in schools, I'm just reinforcing a broken system. But I think I'm at peace with these questions. As long as exams continue to be in English, students need it pass. And the project of improving teaching methods is something I can get behind all the way.
There you go. "Too many thoughts about education in Tanzania". A novel by David Jones. Congrats if you stuck through this far! Now for dessert!
I told you there were no beaches in this post. I didn't say no beachside resorts though. Tropical Island Adventure of the Week: A few of us went beach searching yesterday. We found a beach, but it was low tide and no good for swimming. But lo and behold, a ritzy island resort! We wandered over to check it out. The place costs $700 a night. Guests get their own huts surrounded by trees and opening onto the beach. Complimentary beer at the bar. For some unknown reason (I think because we didn't look like locals) we were assigned a tour guide who showed us the grounds. We ended up at the bar and negotiated a good price for drinks in local currency (all the menu prices were given in American dollars). After chatting up the bartender, he told us to go ahead and take a dip in the pool, which just happened to overlook the Indian Ocean. I had no idea there was a swimming pool on the whole island. It was about the most luxurious thing I could dream of. We decided we were legit because we were able to make our way into a $700 resort for a $15 bar tab. So if I ever tell you it's all work and no play here, give me a good shake and tell me to come to my senses.
Pictures!!!
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| Me and my teachers' college |
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| My students at the college (and me standing on the right) |
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| The young men who come to Les and me for conversational English |
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| Another picture of a group meeting. Thanks to Robert Lowler, a VSO volunteer who visited us, for this picture and the next few as well. |
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| A typical primary school class. Many primary schools don't have desks, or only have them for older students. Thanks again to Robert Lowler. |
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| Great pic! (Thanks Robert) |
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| A secondary school student with her science notebook. Her notes were very neatly copied from the board. (Picture by Robert Lowler) |
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| Notes for a science lesson. Often a teacher will write notes like this on the board and leave students to copy them with little or no explanation. (Picture by Robert Lowler) |
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| At the bar with Dave and Irma, a new VSO doctor on Pemba. |
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| Wazungu Paradise |
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