Papua New Guinea Shoes The Way: Mother Tongue First, English Next! (fwd)

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA SHOWS THE WAY: MOTHER TONGUE FIRST, ENGLISH NEXT!
http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=specialnews&item=1195

Papua New Guinea, a tiny country with population of just 45 lakhs, too
is facing language problem similar to Karnataka. While a section of
Kannadigas want the child to learn English from the first standard, the
other section is opposed to it. This is the debate going on in Papua New
Guinea too, where the Government gives prominence to local language upto
a certain age and introduce English at a later stage, Dame Kidu, the
only woman Minister of Papua New Guinea, talks about the success of the
experiment of giving primacy to their mother tongue.


By Nandini Srinivasan. While the three-language formula at the school
level, has always been and continues to be a matter of controversy in
our country, English continues to enchant and enamour all sections of
the population. Vernacular languages are struggling to make their
presence felt with different State Governments making relentless
efforts to introduce the mother tongue at the primary level drawing
flak from various quarters. The move has upset many parents who fear
that their kids will be left out of the rat race without English.

But, there are many other countries in the world, who have more number
of languages than India has, but are successfully imparting education
in their native language, introducing English only at the middle or
high school level. One such country is Papua New Guinea, which has 800
languages.

"If you do not educate your child in your language at the elementary
level, there is imminent danger of denying your child the greatness and
pride of your land. It is detrimental to force English at the cost of
your language. English is necessary in today's world. It opens the
doors to the world. But, it should be introduced slowly and at a stage
when the child is familiar with its own language. Then, the children
tend to understand and speak English much better!"

Mrs. Dame Kidu, Minister for Community Development in Papua New Guinea,
strongly feels so and she substantiates her statements with innumerable
statistics from research work on multi-lingual education.

In Mysore, to attend the 3-day 'India Workshop on Multi-lingual
Education', being held at CIIL from yesterday, Mrs. Dame Kidu, the only
woman Minister in her country, shared her views on the importance of
mother tongue in elementary education and other aspects of education in
a tete-a tete with SOM, at The Roost on Monday. Excerpts:

Star of Mysore (SOM): How many languages does your country have?

Dame Kidu ( DK) : 800. I think that's probably the largest number of
languages any country has. We have a population of about 4.5 million ,
but 25 per cent of the world languages are spoken here. We have three
official languages on paper. One is Motu, the native language, which is
not used very much in official terms, English and Talk Pisin (a
simpli-fied form of English).

SOM: Since when has the vernacular language been introduced at the
elementary level in schools in your country?

DK: Earlier, the education system was underserving the purpose, with
English being introduced at all levels. But since probably 1986, the
importance of the native languages has been realised and we have been
successful in implementing these languages at the elementary level.

SOM: But wasn't it a deterrent?

DK: No! I , like the other experts in the field, strongly believe that a
child should begin to gather literary skills in his or her own language.
Any other foreign language introduced at this level can only harm the
child, as it understands only the sounds and never the meanings of a
foreign language. English is necessary, but at a later stage, it slowly
blends into the native language.

SOM: At what stage is English introduced in your country?

DK: At elementary (6 - 8 years), we have only the native language. This
goes on up to grade 2 and 3 (9-11 years) and it is at grade 5 (11-15
years) that English is introduced.

SOM: But don't the kids find it difficult to pick up?

DK: No way! The bridging process should be effective and as they are
adept at their own language, they pick up English very easily. In fact,
my husband served as the Chief Justice of the country and he too learnt
English at the same age. He was as good as any native speaker of
English! It is imperative that children start their education in a
language they understand and hear more often.

SOM: In India, the child develops a complex if he or she doesn't know
English!

DK: Yes! In my country too, the situation was similar a few years back.
Things have drastically changed now and for the better! This kind of
segregation of 'non-English speaking' kids can have a very damaging
effect on them. My daughter, a very brilliant kid, studied in her
father's language.

But when she had to learn English, during the 1970s, she was treated
like a remedial student and made to feel that she was a 'dull student'
just because she didn't know English! She is 33 and in spite of being
an extremely intelligent young woman, still carries the complex with
her!

SOM: What are the advantages of knowing your language at such a young
level?

DK: Cultural identity! The child needs to know about its land, its
culture and only then will a sense of pride and patriotism develops.
How can a child be taught about this in a foreign language? It is its
own language that will help him appreciate things better. In my
country, the present day children know more about the land and its
culture than their parents! The parents belonged to a 'English
education' generation and were alienated from their roots. Now, they
seem to realise the mistake and are keen to learn more about their land
from their kids! Look at Australia! The indigenous generation of
Australia are nowhere today, as they are so heavily influenced by the
foreign language.

SOM: But, isn't it difficult to cope with technical subjects if they
don't know English?

DK: Who said so? It is the reverse! In fact, a child who learns his
mother tongue well, is so confident and capable that learning English
is hardly any challenge. So, where is the problem? Research has shown
that children who have had their basic education in their mother tongue
are much better equipped to pick up any other lan-guage. The bridging
should be appropriate.

I learn that in China, kids who learnt Mandarin, perform much better in
Maths! The transition from learning the native language and English
should be smooth and that is what we need to focus upon.

SOM: The 3-day workshop on Multi-lingual education, focuses on tribal
education., where education for girls is also an important factor. How
is the situation in your country?

DK: The girls' education is slowly picking up. The dropout rates amongst
girls are high for various cultural and physical reasons. But things are
slowly changing now.

SOM: The status of women?

DK: Well, that depends on the various tribes. In communities, where
there is a matriarchal system and the woman has rights over property,
she is given a lot of respect. That's because she controls the
distributionship of land. But in patriarchal communities, well there's
a lot left to be desired! To get to the top position, an influential
position, it is still a struggle for a woman.

SOM: How do you feel being the only woman Minister in the cabinet?

DK: I have never felt so powerless in my life!!! I was a teacher before
and had control of the situation and did what I thought was right! The
bureaucracy in our country functions slowly and the advocacy of
awareness in the social area has to keep pace with that! I work in
Community Development, where things need to move fast but it depends on
so many factors! That's when I feel I'm absolutely powerless. I was more
assertive and powerful as a teacher!

SOM: Has being a woman made any difference?

DK: "Well, like in any other part of the world, men don't much
appreciate a woman with an opinion! It is difficult for them to digest
that a woman can also think, and think better! Today, it is a world of
knowledge and not a world of physical supremacy. It's a great equaliser
and neither men nor women have the prerogative to claim they are
superior. Maybe in the days of warriors, men were considered as
superior because they used their physical powers to win wars and win
bread. But no more! It's knowledge that rules the roost and if you are
knowledgeable, you have the power ? forget about what gender you belong
to?That's a fact that is still a little hard to digest for the men
folk!!