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• Teaching of English a fiasco
  
  
• More exposure in media for Parliamentary affairs
  
  
• Private zoos?
  
  
• Tourism and cleaner cities
  
  
• Whither our universities

Teaching of English a fiasco

The teaching of English in our government schools has been a monumental fiasco. Who cares? Not the NIE. The students and their parents do care, also I think, the Hon. Minister of Education. Recently, he admitted in Parliament that "the percentage of those passing in English at GCE O/L exam has declined from 40% in 1994 to 21% in 1997 and was fluctuating at this figure in 2001" (The Sunday Times, 1st Dec.).

The following article is written in the expectation that this Ministerial concern would be translated to necessary remedial action without delay. The English Unit of the NIE has been guilty of experimentation with English teaching over the years.

The NIE thoughtlessly adopted whatever the latest fad promoted by foreign specialists, without giving any consideration to the stark fact, that 95% of our children come from a totally vernacular background, and English is only a matter of 40 minutes in their daily school curriculum.

The NIE introduced various methods of teaching English. The teachers were compelled to rigorously follow those methods. Thus, at the Regional English Support Centre the teachers were strongly advised to adopt methods of teaching promoted by British Specialists.

In fact, some of those Specialists did also undertake teaching, all to no avail. Some schools that benefited from this specialist input had not improved on their exam results (eg. Bolawalana school). First there was the "Direct Method", this was then followed by "Oral Structural Situational Approach", then came the "Communicative Approach".

This "Communicative Approach" involved the exposing of the students to very advanced English, with the expectation, that they would pick up the language as they proceeded with their lessons. This was a bastardized version of what in Europe is known as "Full immersion" method.

A German students for instance, would come to England, reside with an English family, follow English lessons in the nearby college, and live and experience a total English way of life. He would use English all the time during his stay of a month or so. At the end of his stay in England, he usually picked up a reasonable working knowledge of English. But such a method cannot work in our restricted 40 minutes only of English class work. Thus it was a total failure in our schools. Today we have the "Thematic Approach". That all these methods have been ineffective, has been substantiated by the statistics quoted above by the Minister.

Exasperated teachers do try their own methods in teaching English in the classroom with varying success. The Minister's statistics quoted above mask an appalling situation where rural schools are concerned. The Table below gives the English GCE O/L results in the year 2001 for two divisions that can be considered as semi-rural.

This 'massacre of the innocents' should have triggered inquiries, investigations and the formulation of action plans to improve on this appalling exam results. To-date the NIE has not lifted a finger to do anything about the above results and justify its existence. It carries on regardless. In terms of cost/benefit, the NIE would have to be scrapped.

The English teachers have been blamed for the deterioration of the standard of English. While it may be true that the"English capability" of some teachers could be below par, the fact remains, that through the Senior English Language Project and the Primary English Language Project, most of the English teachers have been trained and certified as capable of teaching English. Therefore they cannot be blamed entirely. In my books, the culprit for this debacle in the teaching/learning of English language is the English Unit of the NIE. It should not be allowed to continue to sow this devastation.

Today the NIE has introduced the theme based "World Through" series of English textbooks for class use. These books have completely ignored the non-English background of the students.

There are too many lessons in the book. The proper teaching of each lesson during the available 40 minutes would not permit the teacher to finish the book by the end of the school year. Therefore the student would not be properly prepared to tackle the next higher grade book in the following year. This could lead to frustrated expectations and the perception that English was a difficult subject.

This attitude would lead to eventual dropout of students from the English classes. The chapters in these books contain bombastic words and long sentences defying reading and comprehension. They also contain too many errors and mistakes. Here are some randomly selected examples: "Still I wondered was there a national case to be made for crankdom?" (incorrect grammar, and new word [crankdom] is not found in the dictionary, page 105 Grade 8 textbook).

"cope with", "arrange for", "make up for", "look into", "wade across", "keep away from", "look after", etc. (The above are verbs, but in fact they are listed as prepositional phrases in page 94 Grade 11 textbook). "then he took a bell and went around ringing a bell and saying to them" (page 93 Grade 5 textbook) It should be "he went around ringing it".

"the meeting was held in a meadow under the shade of a tree". It should be "in the shade of a tree". Perhaps only the NIE can possibly sit under the shade! (page 8 Grade 9 textbook). Even the Teachers' Guides do contain errors.

Phrases such as "on the clean-up campaign", "from a neighbouring house", "with a grocery cart", "at the boys" have been introduced as clauses. (Grade 8 Teachers' Guide).

So what action can the Minister take? He should dispense with the services of all those yesterday's men/women in the English Unit of the NIE. They have, over the years, patently failed to deliver even reasonable results. In the short term, the minister should rectify the many errors in the textbooks, or produce a corrigendum for each book.

He should issue sensible Teachers' Guides permitting the judicious use of the vernacular in teaching English. In the long term, he should get together a coterie of local English teachers with proven success records, and rewrite student-centered textbooks, and incorporate their successful methods of teaching in the Guides to the Teachers.

Those books should contain no more than 10 lessons. They should be written in plain, simple, and readable English, and should have built around each chapter many exercises pertaining to grammar and comprehension. Those exercises should provide for individual and group work, communication exercises should be both oral and written.

One lesson per month would get the students involved and interested and provide the teacher an achievable target.

Durand Appuhamy, Negombo

More exposure in media for Parliamentary affairs

Oh my God! Ranil wants the television stations to give more live coverage for Parliamentary affairs! What does he want to expose? The exemplary behaviour of our representatives - the vulgar language etc....? and obscene gestures!

There was a time, when members like Dr. N.M. Perera, Dudley Senanayake, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, J.R. Jayewardene, Lalith Athulathmudali and among the present members Anura Bandaranaike made speeches that one could listen to. With their scathing repartees they cut to size any interruptions.

Whenever anyone of them spoke the other members would come inside the Chamber. I have personally listened to Lalith and Anura. In either language they were far ahead of the others. And of course in Sinhala it is the inimitable Lokubandara.

They could argue and debate and show that black is white.

Unfortunately debates have come down to the level of Mariakade so much so that teachers have to remove the girls and for that matter boys from the gallery.

In such a situation I hope that the Prime Minister would reconsider his decision.

From Parliament indiscipline has spread to schools, villages and even five star hotels and ministerial brats are spreading the culture of violence.

Due to the inability to debate and come out with sober response very often members resort to personal abuse. Words like booruwa, paraya, gona have become Parliamentary language.

For god sake please allow them to behave or misbehave without showing them in our drawing rooms.

DR. NEVILLE FERNANDO, Nawala.

Private zoos?

Daily News of November 8, brought a very disturbing news item which says that a Cabinet memorandum is being submitted seeking approval for the operation of private zoos.

This is for the purpose of tourist attraction and for promotion of tourism. What I sincerely feel is the existing zoo at Dehiwela is more than enough for our country. Private zoos will make things worse.

The animals will never be given even the bare minimum necessities they require.

The owners will not hesitate to do anything to the poor animals to attract people, tourists or anybody to make quick money. I still can remember the saddening news about the Ahungalla Private Zoo, which was ordered to be closed down by the authorities after much public agitation.

Yet, it is not completely closed. The owner has made some excuse and still keeping it open with some varieties of birds.

When these private zoos are opened, from where do the owners get the animals? will the Government start selling of different kinds of animals and start an animal trade?

Or else, will there be animal imports? have the big brains who suggested this new business thought of this?

However, much the animals are tortured, no animal will come forward and hold testimony against the gruesome acts of their owners.

It is also a known fact that some of our endemic species of animals, birds and reptiles are on the verge of extinction.

This system, if given green light will definitely quicken the ending of these rare species. We, therefore, appeal that this ill-advised proposal of allowing private zoos in this beautiful country be dropped.

S. WANIGAWITHARANA- Ambalangoda.

Tourism and cleaner cities

If Sri Lanka is to develop tourism as a major industry and attract increasing numbers of tourists, one of the fundamental problems that should be addressed is the cleanliness.

The writer believes that it is the responsibility of the Ministries of Local Government and Tourism as well as the Municipal and Urban Councils to work in collaboration to solve the problem and organise the proper collection and disposal of garbage leading to cleaner cities and eating houses.

Leaving aside the cities and towns in the outskirts, when one walks around Colombo and its suburbs, the smell coming from roadside garbage dumps is unbearable. Almost all tourists are concerned with cleanliness. On the first visit, if a tourist find a place unclean, he or she will not care to pay a second visit to such a place or recommend it as a good tourist destination to his or her friends.

The writer believes that most of our politicians have visited countries in the developed world where tourists are attracted in millions and the attention paid to keeping the cities and eating-houses clean. In fact, leaving aside, developed countries in the West, visitors to Singapore, Hong Kong,

South Korea and Malaysia could see how do they keep their cities clean and the emphasis placed on this aspect in developing tourism.

On one occasion, a small group of Australian University academics, who visited Colombo on a suggestion by the writer, related to the unbearable smell coming from a garbage dump near the a hotel. These people went to the extent of commenting that the country is a good tourist destination if it is not for the bad smell and unhygienic environment.

In extensive travelling around the globe that the writer has undertaken Sri Lanka is one of the worst when it comes to the question of cleanliness.

In this context, in addressing this urgent issue it would be advisable for the Ministry of Local Government to enact regulations requiring all local authorities to issue garbage-bins to each and every household and business house to collect garbage.

They should be advised to leave them on the roadside to be collected by the local authority's garbage collectors on an appointed day of the week as it is being practised in most other countries.

The cost of a garbage-bin can be added on to the rates of the premises without being a burden on the local authority.

Similarly, garbage-bins should be placed at convenient locations in cities and towns to place rubbish such as cigarette-buts, pieces of paper and food-raps etc. without dumping them on the roadside. Of course, a system of fines will have to be imposed on those who violate these requirments and notice boards will have to be erected cautioning against such violations.

DR. D. THENUWARA GAMAGE- Kohuwala

Whither our universities

It is sad to know, what has become of our highest seats of learning, where once the best and most talented were taught in the best traditions how and what they were there to learn.

Not only have these institutions been turned into breeding ground for unscrupulous elements. Who seek to bring disrepute and mayhem, but also instill in these innocent minds, how to revolt against the established order, thus making them pawns in there unwarranted schemes.

And a talented an innocent student had to pay with his life, his only fault being, he fought for a just cause. The unfortunate part of this is, that those who genuinely wish to pursue higher studies in the traditional manner, whose aim is to pass out as assets to society and the nation are made to pay the price of non-commitment to a just cause.

Selfishness creates problems, which are beyond the authorities, as politics infiltrates into the field of education.

Time was when as those of us of the older generation will recall that ragging in universities at that time was healthy fun, inflicted on new entrants to these institutions.

Over the years however it was indulged in its worst form that could be called ragging, which has now turned into a form of torture mentally and physically.

Where does this all lead to besides the agony of parents who lose their children thus? Many of these students are from rural areas, and the struggle parents have to overcome, for their children to enter the portals of the higher seats of learning, is the financial hurdle.

However, most of those who enter the university, cannot achieve what they strive for devious reasons. Not only universities, but also schools have been affected by interference from outside. Students at these institutions are instigated to rebel and revolt against their mentors, many of them fall prey to such advice, that is against the established code of conduct.

Discipline with a capital D has to be instilled in children at an early age. Home is where the foundation is laid in disciplining your child, and it is the parent's responsibility to adhere to this.

We know of parents, who when a problem arises with their child at school. Try to assert the child's right, and do not care to get to the core of the problem, and try and find out the facts, or the truth of who was the cause of such friction. They believe that their child is right even if he is in the wrong.

This is the reality of what happens and follows and grows with the child into its teens.

Instil in them in their impressionable years. What is right and wrong that they have to abide by the laws that go with learning.

They have to know that certain things are just not done and above all, they have to respect the feelings of others, and not runaway with the belief, that they are always right.

This is the cause of friction, that as they grow and leave school and enter the higher seats of learning grows with them, causing dissension and strife among students.

They are easy prey, who fall for the ulterior motives of those who find these tender minds, easy to gain advantage of their scheming and planning to disrupt the life of these institutions.

It is said that over the years, this canker has imbedded itself, in the body of those institutions and can only be eradicated by stringent laws, that should be brought about, if we are to see the future generation among those who enter our higher seats of learning, maintain the good name and honour, that is due to such institutions.

AYESHA YUSUF

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