Back to School

One evening last week as I was walking back from the office I stopped to talk to a man who was walking in the opposite direction (it is very important here that you stop and greet people as you meet them - shaking them by the hand and asking them how they are). He spoke very good English and I quickly found out that he is one of the English teachers at the secondary school here.

A few days later I met him again and he asked me if I would be willing to come and talk to some of his students. He was keen for them to hear English spoken ‘properly’ by someone for whom it is their mother-tongue. I agreed to help out and we arranged that I would go to the school on Monday morning.

I arrived just as they were starting their week. All the pupils were gathered around the flag pole, standing in neat blocks and rows according to which year and form they are in. They were lead through a short piece of ‘drill’ by one of the older boys, which involved standing to attention, being at ease and doing some about-turns. Then three boys marched forward to the flag pole and as they reached their designated places some of the girls started the singing of the National Anthem of Tanzania, accompanied by some very determined drumming. As the singing continued the Tanzanian flag was raised and everyone then started singing the school song. Once this ceremony was completed the Head Master stepped forward and greeted the students and encouraged them to work hard in their studies this week.

The students were then sent off to their lessons and I was taken to one of the classrooms to meet my class. There were about 40 pupils, sitting in rows of desks facing the blackboard, and they all stood up and said ‘Good Morning Madam’ as I entered the room. Prior to meeting them I really wasn’t sure what their level of English would be. For most of them it is their third language after their local language and the national language of Kiswahili and although all secondary education in Tanzania is conducted in English in reality they have little opportunity to practice it and hear it outside of the classroom.

I told them a little bit about myself – where I come from and why I am in Tanzania – and we played a short game in which I gave them some simple instructions to follow. I also wanted to try and encourage them to speak English and so I asked them if they had any questions they wanted to ask me. After a hesitant start the questions came thick and fast (each one prefaced very politely with ‘Yes Madam. I have a question for you’):

What sort of lifestyle do people in Britain lead?

How many chairs do I have in my house?

What is the weather like in Britain?

Are there any Muslims in Britain?

Do people shop in markets or supermarkets?

How do you elect your leaders?

Is their political instability in your country?

Do tourists come to Britain and what do they come to see?

How does the education system compare to Tanzania?

How can I become a British citizen?

Is the cost of living more expensive than in Tanzania?

As in any class some of the children were more vocal and confident than others and some just sat looking totally bewildered. I think they could have gone on asking questions all morning if the teacher hadn’t intervened and pointed out that the first lesson of the day was due to end.

I don’t think my short time with them will have dramatically transformed their understanding of spoken English but maybe it encouraged some of them in their studies and gave them a new enthusiasm for the language. I guess I’ll never know…