Failing our kids

Namibian Sun recently reported that one fifth of the country's Grade 1 learners have had to repeat their first year of school over the past seven years, while 30% of Grade 5 to 8 learners have repeated grades during the same period.

Jemima Beukes interviewed Annaly Strauss, an expert in early childhood education, who talked about the gaps in the Namibian system and how best to deal with them and the consequences if further left unresolved.

JB: Please tell us about your work as an early childhood education expert?

AS: My work involves the training of early childhood education teachers, curriculum development and policy development, program evaluation and research.

My field of specialisation is the teaching and learning processes of English Second Language and Mathematics.

Early childhood studies at post-graduate level deals mainly with research in this field and in general.

Teacher training requires specialised teaching and learning methodologies, a curriculum and developmentally appropriate teaching, learning and assessment strategies.

The teachers of young children need to be prepared on how to teach once they are in practice.

Therefore, the methodology of early childhood education aligns with developmentally and culturally appropriate practices for the field.

Developmentally, in the sense that young children learn fundamentally differently to older children, and from a cultural perspective, they are coming from different language backgrounds.

However, the field of study does not limit me to work in any other field for which I was trained during under-graduate studies.

JB: Please in three sentences, as simply as possible, explain what early childhood education is?

AS: Early childhood education deals with the education of young children. From a very young age, parents have to create a supportive environment at home for children to learn from. If teachers are well-prepared through studies, they are in a position to foster young children's learning in the absence of support at home, in centres or pre-primary classrooms.

JB: Why is early childhood education important?

AS: From birth to nine years old, children have the best chance to learn language.

This is the time when they have to be exposed to interactive verbal participation in home and school environments, constructive play, shared book reading and exploration, to develop their cognitive abilities and to be ready for school and later learning.

JB: What are the existing gaps in the sub-region and most importantly Namibia with regards to early childhood education or development?

AS: The biggest challenge for Namibia, and I believe the region, is the lack of professionally trained early childhood education teachers in both schools and educators in institutions of higher learning.

Furthermore, we have a language policy, but this language policy of Namibia does not stipulate any provisions for pre-primary teaching.

In the absence of clear policy guidelines on how to mediate language within a multilingual context, the majority of pre-primary teachers and educators are not professionally trained to use appropriate ESL (English second language) or early literacy pedagogical approaches when they teach young learners. These professional challenges have an impact on a child's foundation phase and future learning.

JB: What it the most cost-effective way to bridge these gaps?

AS: I would say the most cost-effective way to improve pre-primary teacher training would be through the professional development of in-service teachers and educators. The solution to this vast problem would require curriculum evaluation and the subsequent training on how to engage in online learning environments or communities of practice. As a result, assessment of learning would require a mind shift. Transformation of didactic beliefs and practices are necessary for improved early childhood education provision in the 21st century and within the current economic circumstances.

JB: In very plain English, explain what will be the consequences to a child should these gaps not be filled?

AS: We have seen these consequences in the annual grade 10 and 12 year-end examination results for the past decades, since the country became independent. If a child's foundation for language learning is not laid right, they struggle in their education later.

Children from homes without print-rich or interactive oral language environments have limited understanding of and/or mastery of oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, print awareness, and the ability to make critical connections to print, when they start school.

When pre-primary teachers are not well-prepared for their task, this situation has negative effects on a child's future learning and thus their success in life.

JB: Obviously not every family can afford educational toys, books or programmes. Can a loving home therefore be a cure for this? In other words, how can a poor parent create a healthy balance?

AS: Children who come from poor homes have the school as their last hope to learn to read. However, in homes where parents do not value reading, or where they possess few reading materials, engage in limited reading activities, or do not support their children's emergent language and literacy development before school and during grade 1, awareness needs to be raised on alternative strategies and the importance for emergent literacy learning. Schools and public libraries should play an active role in communities to attract parents through interactive reading programs. In the absence of libraries and in remote areas, parents may still have electronic devices to stimulate early literacy in creative ways.

JB: What role does pets play in early childhood development?

AS: Pets play a role in children's character development. In fact, character education may form part of the teacher training curriculum in institutions of higher learning where pre-primary teachers are prepared. With pets and when character education is part of the curriculum, both children and pre-service teachers learn to care, love and to have empathy to reduce gender-based violence in future.

JB: What is the most common thing we take for granted that can assist in creating a balance in the Namibian context?

AS: In the context of early childhood education, we have locked ourselves into a self-perpetuating set of values and practices for the field that prohibit the field of early childhood education to move forward. When I talk to people about early childhood education, the perception of kindergartens and business come to the fore.

It seems that the profession is misunderstood, regarded as 'western', or within a limited and set framework, relevant within our socio-cultural context.

When we realise that early childhood education encompasses more than our current views, early childhood education and research in this field can inform and contribute toward education reform in general. *Strauss holds a PhD degree from the University of Pretoria, Master of Education Degree obtained from the University of Namibia, and another one obtained from the University of Missouri in St Louis, America. She is a Fulbright Fellow, PEO Sisterhood Fellow, a Sue Shear for Women in Public Life Fellow and was elected as an UMSL Women's Leader at her previous university. She hails from the villages of Schlip and Duineveld and therefore loves the outdoor life and community work.



JEMIMA BEUKES