ACCELERATING GIRLS EDUCATION
By Patricia Paradei
Mastering literacy skills
When students master reading and writing skills in formal and informal learning environments, they can read for information, and follow instructions about how to do things. They should also be able to evaluate and critique written information, read for pleasure, and most importantly, become self-learners so they can improve their lives. Students should be functionally literate in the language being used in their courses. The government’s goal that Papua New Guinea becomes a literate population for progress and development purposes.
It is common knowledge that some 45 percent to 50 percent of the population of PNG is illiterate. Also, some school-age children will never enrol in formal schooling and some will dropped out of school along the way. These children are the illiterate adults of the future. Non-government organisations (NGOs) are providing literacy programs for adults so they can be functionally literate, mainly in Tok Ples and Tok Pisin. Unfortunately, no-one knows what proportion of the illiterate population is now literate since literacy programs began, because monitoring and evaluation is non existent.
Teaching literacy skills in Papua New Guinea schools
There has been much debate concerning competency in English by the end of primary school. Some community members blame vernacular and bilingual instruction at the elementary and lower primary for this weakness. A study of students’ basic numeracy and literacy skills at the end of elementary school was conducted in Tok Ples, Tok Pisin, and English elementary schools, and found that the sounding of letters, formation of words, phrases and sentences in these languages were taught better by those teachers who had been trained to teach language literacy. It was found that the mastery of these English language skills was weaker than for Tok Pisin and Tok Ples.
Most of the students in the English sample could not sound the letters of the English alphabet, read independently for information, or read simple unfamiliar English texts even after three years and a half years of English instruction. Only those who had well-educated parents had good English literacy skills. The majority of Tok Pisin and Tok Ples sample students had mastered literacy skills and were able to transfer them across to the English language.
Most did well in the basic English literacy test which consisted of matching pictures with English words, and two simple reading comprehension exercises. Their comprehension of information, application, and reasoning skills were stronger than most members of the English sample. Most of these students were now at least semi-literate or even literate in a language.
Professional support for teachers
A recent study found that Papua New Guinea students’ mastery of Tok Ples, Tok Pisin, or English depends on the competency of the teachers in these languages, the quality of language literacy skills training, professional support, the use of available resources to support reading and writing skills, and regular evaluation of students’ literacy skills. The study found that some primary teachers had English spelling errors in the written text on the board, and in their program books. Common errors included the addition of ‘s’ to words like ‘furniture’, ‘staff’, ‘stuff’, ‘corn’, and ‘information’, when talking about more than one of each, and some had sentences that were poorly constructed. The students’ books reflected similar weaknesses.
This may be an issue of understanding the rules and grammar of the English language and the proper structure of sentences. One wonders if the teachers had received quality training in the teaching of the English language, and how to teach in the different advanced genres. The reading, writing, and comprehension of advanced English texts by Grade 8 students seems to be a common concern.
Continuous professional support for teachers in this area may improve the teaching of English language skills. If better support is provided for students, they can master English literacy skills and be at least functionally literate in English by the end of primary school.
Literacy support marterials
In many elementary schools throughout Papua New Guinea, the study found that reading and writing was not done regularly, as recommended in the language syllabus. There were few big books in the classrooms, very few basic readers in both elementary and primary schools. In some cases, there was an abundance of books and support materials, but they were stored away, collecting dust. It was noted that English dictionaries were absent in most of the community and primary schools.
English dictionaries can be used for spelling and simple sentence structure checks, as computers are generally not available to many teachers and students to check spelling and grammar. Dictionaries were placed in some school libraries visited, but not sufficient for the school population. If there are few or no English dictionaries in schools, the school communities could raise funds to purchase class sets for their schools.
Other stakeholders in the communities could also donate dictionaries and class readers to the schools in their communities. Before the education reform began in PNG, studies showed that some students who had completed primary or secondary education had not mastered the English or any other language. Current studies also show that this is still the case. This may be the result of poor language skills teaching, inadequate support for mastering literacy skills, or continuous teacher and student absenteeism from school.
We can learn from these experiences and better support our students’ literacy learning to achieve an improved literate population. The education authorities in Papua New Guinea should ensure that teachers are given quality professional training in the teaching of language skills. In turn, teachers should ensure that students receive good support during language lessons. Interesting Tok Ples, Tok Pisin, and English materials will encourage students to read and write in their own time. Such an exercise will improve their reading and writing skills in these languages, and most importantly, become literate in them.
Parents support for literacy skills learning
Literate parents can also support their children’s learning in the home. They can teach their children to read and write Tok Ples, Tok Pisin, and English. Some schools encourage students to take books home to read. Parents can read these books with their children, or if they have already mastered reading skills, discuss the content of books. Such an exercise can assist the children’s comprehension skills.
Some schools encourage students to complete their homework, which allows parents to see what their children are taught in school, to assess whether their children’s learning is being regularly monitored and assessed. Studies have shown that some teachers mark incorrect spelling and sentence structure — especially in the English language — and other incorrect answers, correct in children’s books. Parents can use this opportunity to assess the quality of language and other subject teaching, and the regularity and quality of assessment of children’s learning.
Such an exercise encourages children to better participate in their learning and remain in school because of parental support for their education. This will also ensure that children are literate in English by the end of primary or secondary school. Literacy skills in Tok Pisin or Tok Ples can be learned informally, as many of the Papua New Guineans have been doing.
Conclusion
One of Papua New Guinea Government’s goals is to have a literate population in order to improve the people’s standard of living. NGOs are assisting in achieving this goal through their literacy programs. The education system in Papua New Guinea is also contributing to the achievement of this goal through formal schooling. However, there are students who have gone through the formal primary and secondary education system and are still illiterate. Such a dilemma can be minimised if education authorities, teachers, parents and all stakeholders work together to support students’ literacy skills learning.
Education authorities should provide continuous professional support for teachers in the teaching of all literacy skills, so that they are better prepared to support students’ learning of literacy skills. Teachers should ensure that they use available resources, such as readers, dictionaries, and other materials to effectively teach literacy skills. The communities can support schools by raising funds to purchase support materials that can support the learning and mastery of literacy skills. Such a combined effort will go a long way towards contribution to the improvement of the literacy rate in Papua New Guinea and the achievement of one of PNG’s national goals — a literate population.
Patricia Paraide is a Senior Research Fellow in the Educational Studies Division at the National Research Institute.
This article was published with permission from National Research Institute of Papua New Guinea. NRI website can be accessed at www.nri.org.pg
|
