Somali Students Contend with English
By. Ibrahim Sultan
First Published on April 04,
2021
Why should the
lecturer begin the introduction in English and then switch back to the Somali
translation? It only confuses the student who frantically tries to write the
linguistic translation, and the hall becomes a discussion about translation
rather than the course concepts. There are more than 40 universities in Somalia, and
the main programs such as Medicine, Engineering, Computer Science, Business
Administration, and Social Sciences teach in English as it is the leading
scientific language in the world.
Most Somali
students have poor English language skills, ranging from basic to intermediate.
This sets them up for difficulties in their exams because they don’t comprehend
the content as it should be. They must memorize the text as if they were poems
and puzzles to succeed. And this obstacle extends even when pursuing a Master’s
degree. Maryam Abdullah, a third-year student of Social Sciences, tells me,
“The school education itself contributed to the problem. There was no special
interest in English except grammar, so the university level is more confusing.”
“In addition to the
factors of educational upbringing, what makes matters worse is the absence of
specialized language centers that students can resort to, as in some
countries,” says Mohamed Abukar, a third-year student of Public Health at
Puntland State University.
We do not yet
understand how the academic system works. It is based on scientific method and rationalism,
rather than memorization and indoctrination. We mean the scientific method as
“a sequence of actions that constitute a strategy to achieve one or more
research goals” and rationalism by rational inference and justification.
We don’t have a
comprehensive understanding of the role language plays in knowledge
construction. Students cannot achieve their educational goals if they do not
understand the medium of instruction.
Who bears this
responsibility? Successive corrupted governments, parents who want their
children to enter the workforce, students who only want a certificate or
degree, and universities that only respond to market pressures. Everyone bears
responsibility, and it cannot be traced back to purely external factors.
Rather, the problem is rooted in us, and is a product of the psyche of the
reckless Somali who is always on the move and who does not care about adopting
Spanish or Chinese as the language of the newly developed curriculum.
What is the
solution? I think that we are all looking toward the future, but we also have
to prioritize learning the English language in the education system, both
educationally and culturally for our students from high schools to higher
education, and even bring foreign teachers from African countries with English
proficiency.
“Universities need
to impose foundation programs to develop English skills before students start
studying, and to train teachers for that,” lecturer Ahmed Abdullah at Puntland
State University asserts. Finally, there is no other option for the success of
the educational system than to be honest with ourselves and not waste our very
little resources.
إرسال تعليق