Carol Natukunda
15 April 2007
Kampala — WOULD you slap your son hard in the face? Checking through his test papers, you notice phrases like "mob stuff" for "plenty" or "shud" for "should." He would have scored better, had he avoided the jargon!
Inappropriate language, consisting of text abbreviations and slang, is slowly creeping into students' course work and exams, teachers reveal. "Words such as 'b4', 'gd' or 'thru' are so common when I am marking," says David Eryatu, a General Paper teacher at Wanyange Girls' School.
"Many candidates have good responses, but lose marks for using slang." Another English examiner remarks: "It is getting so bad. Recently one teenager wrote: 'He's like no' instead of 'he said no'.
And I think this goes on to university, because some employers complain of graduates who submit applications that are full of grammatical errors." Uganda has a diverse range of mother tongues. English, as the official language, has been a unifying factor for decades. Subjects are taught and examinations set and written in English.
Offices use English in their day-to-day business. An official language in 75 countries, English is the medium of international business and entertainment. Nearly a quarter of the world's population is said to be fluent or competent in English, while about 80% of the world's electronically stored information is said to be in English.
Yet, despite its importance, we seem to be losing touch with the language. Your daughter says or writes something and leaves you marvelling at the meaning. It could be 'Lol' for 'Laugh out loud' or 'lots of love' or 'c u l8r' for 'See you later.'
The problem of slang has compounded into inability by many students to properly express themselves. The Uganda National Examinations Board Secretary, Matthew Bukenya, laments about students who seem to know what to write, but lack the language in which to write it.
"One of the reasons students do not perform well is failure to express themselves well (in English)," Bukenya says. The problem is also outside school. We know of many high profile people who cannot adequately express themselves in English.
Imagine you are attending a symposium and a moderator chips in: "We ask the brother to be silent while the chair is speaking..." (The chair speaking?) The shape of the sentence is characteristically vernacular!
Sure, some Ugandans will argue that English is a second language for us, but does that mean we are excused from having some decent measure of command in it?
Who is to blame for this sorry state of affairs? The education system? The schools? The parents, or the students themselves? Prof. Arthur Gakwandi, a Literature lecturer at Makerere University, believes everyone shares some part of the blame.
"It could be that there is a gap somewhere in our roles." Much blame for the decline of written and oral English is attributed to radios and TV, phone messages, the Internet, tabloid newspapers and novels.
"These children are fans of DJs, some of whom use words carelessly. Others get slang from text messages they exchange with their friends on mobile phones, or on the Internet," says Eryatu.
Idan Aine, the headteacher of Hillside High School, says: "Some of the students' answers rely mainly on soap operas and movies. They think it is impressive to talk like a famous actor."
According to Alice Ndaba, a retired English teacher, the 'rot' began in the early 1980s when schools started giving up on teaching grammar. The problem, she stresses, is further compounded by textbook publishers who no longer see it as a part of their role to have genuine grammar books.
"In our days, we had a compulsory composition and grammar book by J.A Bright Practical English. If you passed through primary school with that book, your English would never be the same. Where did it go?" she asks.
"These days, so many half-baked English books, edited by unqualified editors are being fed on the poor children. What do you expect?"
Some, however, feel that schools and institutions have failed to impress on students the appropriate language.
"Some fresh graduates who are good at slang, are allowed to come and teach. In high schools, you find vacationers teaching," says an English language lecturer at the Institute of Languages, on condition of anonymity.
Bakka Bitwiire, a parent, blames adults, including teachers and parents. "Words are precious tools. If we, the adults express ourselves with a mixture of vernacular words such as 'mbu' or 'ka' then these kids will think it is okay and adopt it."
"Students seem to be making these errors more and more, without being corrected by adults. Some teachers want to be liked in the classroom and have let mistakes go unchecked."
Gakwandi notes that the system of learning almost never addresses English expression. "Students almost never learn it formally. It is something one simply has to pick up as they study.
Unfortunately, it is often so subtle that one might not have a chance to perfect it." The education ministry's new policy to teach lower primary classes (P1 to P3) in their mother tongues is also under stiff criticism.
Many people have expressed the fear that this will further compound the problem of bad English use due to a shaky foundation in the children's learning of the language.
However, Francis Kaleeba, a language specialist at the National Curriculum Development Centre, says: "If you have a good background in your mother tongue, it also enhances your English language. Children can then decode easily the meaning of words into English."
Other enthusiasts say there is no cause to worry about slang and inappropriate English language. "Language is dynamic in all places; it is not peculiar to this country.
Each age group and school has a language of their own," states Daudi Mulongo, the headteacher of Kiira College Butiki The irony is that although there is no major threat to the English language, he admits that carelessness could have an impact on the students' grades.
"Fortunately, we are not being marked by Cambridge; otherwise it can affect grades drastically." Sameer Ogole, a Kyambogo-based software developer, uses online slang frequently. He agrees with Mulongo: "Slang has been around for so long, it has not hurt the use of the traditional form of English.
This usage is limited to instant messages and cell phone text conversations." Students also reveal that part of the reason why they have developed their own vocabulary is because the correct spelling of traditional English is very "long and boring."
They argue, however, that they are able to draw a line between the informal and the formal English, during their exams. "It is easy, fast and cool," says 17-year-old Fiona, a student at Makerere College School. "I use it when I am with my friends, but not with my teacher or exams," says another.
What can be done?
Experts say to restore our pride in communication, a strict drive for English language competence in schools, even if it upsets the students, should take priority over all the other quality objectives.
"Let us be strict and if someone uses slang or broken English in the exam, then he or she scores a zero!" says Aine. A campaign for decent English through essay writing competitions and debates could also curb the phenomenon.
The opportunity could also be extended to graduates and employees.
Eryatu feels that teachers can guide students better if we are to stop 'spoiling' the English language.
"If you use punishments, such as wearing a sack, it may not be of much benefit. Regular English exercises are needed."
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