Why Teach a Language Properly?

Schools have opened. Education or lack of is no news at all. As the oppressive heat of humidity depresses and numbs all the living beings, the schools churning out students with no education skills are now a passé- that is the way of things are in Pakistan. Whether these students are graduating from the private English medium charging exorbitant fees or the public Urdu-medium with low-income families, regardless the students have not learnt to even form an original sentence.

Whether in English or Urdu the language is overwhelmingly deficient across the board. The students cannot construct meaning to and express them in complete sentences. Jumpstarting-learning concepts in first the language help eliminate the comprehension blocks that develops when learning exclusively in a second language, but there is no guarantee for any success when proper instructions in either languages is missing. Nowadays without any language instruction of benchmark standardization in schools the language development program is neglected which results in a generation with very weak conceptual development . Concept development develops a system of thought necessary in all areas of education.

It is easier to blame Urdu language for all the ails in every area of education in Pakistan. It fulfills our need for a scapegoat that can be blamed for the total break up of the education system. The higher sciences compiled in English medium translates to economic opportunities and therefore cannot be held responsible for students inherent weakness writing and speaking abilities. Thus the stereotype assails English and trivializes Urdu.
The Urdu medium schools are considered to be the lowest in the multi tiered education system of Pakistan. The exceptional successes are touted as anomalies. The fallacy is inherent that because the courses are taught in Urdu language the child learns nothing. The fact is that regardless of the language if the syllabus is disjointed and irrational the students have no hope of succeeding.

Why is a language blacklisted? The national fervor that it promotes no economic or intellectual growth prevails. The next question: how is it blacklisted? Mess up the syllabus of the language that it makes no sense to the student and take away its no relevance. Stop teaching the literature that reflects its heritage, and then present it as cold and dry highlighting none of its literary elements nor develop the appreciation to stimulate, excite and inspire. The language further stagnates when the system stops investing in creating a syllabus that keeps up with current times and supporting teachers with any passion for their language.

Instead of investing in the skill of teaching, the schools invest on extracurricular activities like bhangra dance, sports along with the mandatory subjects of Islamiat and Pakistan Studies. The academic life is stretched to the extreme limits that aggravate the problem. For example when a school makes French mandatory knowing that their poor instructional skills along with badly chosen syllabus for the main language have already failed the majority of the students. Thus turning a blind eye to the problem of the teachers failing to teach effectively, even the basic language of communication, and yet loading the students with more burdensome extracurricular activities creates a havoc in the educational system overall.

For all what it seems English medium private schools charging exorbitant fees don’t think that hodgepodge syllabus is inefficient and the parents doling their wealth have no regrets and complaints with this method. In their opinion with the parent-school-student collaboration so-called progress is already in the way.

”Hire any illiterate English speaking American,” a principal responded sarcastically to a situation at a Lahore American School, where a parent insisted that his daughter in fourth grade being taught by a local teacher to be moved to another section with a foreign teacher. He wanted his daughter to acquire a foreign English accent.

The signs considered as a successful transition from Urdu to English, the ready medium for success, are everywhere- in the heavily accented American slang said with a certain penchant classified as ‘coolness’, prolific use of MSN chat lingo and hackneyed expressions used in their writing. Further somehow through applying the principles of osmosis the jaunts to the Hot Spot, Masoom cafes, bowling alleys and 0xygen chambers, they think their kids will acquire through direct association with a language and its culture guaranteed success in academics. If these strategies of immersion are supposed to directly help them become educated then how come the result of the 8th grade in the most revered English medium schools is below average and the students are unable to express logically in a paragraph let alone an essay. We won’t count the final year of O-level because it reflects only the few exceptional students with their own individual efforts and tutorials of course, siphoned through the funnel and not the average student population which will reflect school’s efforts.

This toying with different languages and pronouncing one good over another because it pleases the parents, enhances the schools’ image and let the parents dream of all what English language promises: a life full of optimism and opportunities in developed countries.

With this logic predicting that eventually Urdu language will be null and void replaced by the English language as the medium of success how come students are still facing the same problems. How come it is not producing any scientists or even sustaining let alone improving the exam scores? The fact is that the literacy rate is still down, tuitions are still rampant, and students are still failing.

Let me now spell out the problem in a sentence- the average student in Pakistan cannot form an original sentence let alone write a logically coherent essay. Extreme intellectual poverty is a direct result of this language deficiency. The language skills are transferable from one language to another.

Prolific English prose in education departments frames the new agendas for the higher education but does it solve the real problem- the capability of the student to think and solve conceptual problems in any language? Considering the high government priority commissioned to the education, the core problem of how to teach skills in order to teach a language and then develop in it the logical thinking paradigm. The language program needs a complete re-haul.

Education has become a sham when a school is unable to set up any benchmarks. The goals and objectives target all abilities and teach skills that create confidence to think and express ideas independently.

For example “A” level questions of the Cambridge or London examination boards are designed for 17–18 year olds. The conceptual nature of these questions pose serious difficulties to those who have grown up in a system based upon rote learning. And that explains why so few exceptional students with full time tuitions pass at the first try while the majority dropped out from their schools where they studied since kindergarten keep on trying second and third times. The language of communication has to be clear and simple enough for a student to comprehend the concepts. Rote learning reflects the lowest level of thinking on Bloom’s Taxonomy while the evaluation of the concepts the highest level. To come to that level of logic the students have to learn to think independently thinking and be able to support their argument.

Do we have the courage needed to develop a language program that provides a learning environment that stimulates the student’s curiosity, encourages initiatives and kindles passion for problem solving. Maybe as a nation we don’t want to deal with the real problem. We don’t want to encourage independent thinkers as it is not good citizenry in an autocratic environment. It usurps the power hierarchy at every level- family as well as country.

The whole system of government, parents and school system forms a triad that encourage and promote children to learn a ‘non-language’ as Ijaz Haider the editor Daily Times said, consisting of monosyllables that cannot express an idea let alone grasp concepts to form a relevance to them. This ‘chat’ language may suffice in the social small talk but if we want to make our children professionals in any sciences where they have to use the language in order to go to higher language forget it.

The myth that Pakistan’s education produces scientific scholar is just that. In 2002 statistics, out of 150 million people roughly 20 computer scientists were able to get tenure-track positions at some moderately good US university while there were only 5 mathematicians with Phd’s producing research oriented papers. All this incompatibility in the job market results from a shortcut from first language to a second language without working through the process.