Teachers’ attitudes toward the training

Regarding the quality of the training that the teachers have received, the following responses revealed that teachers perceived the training differently. All ten teachers were asked to express their perceptions of them teaching all the subjects in the medium of Oshindonga language while instructed in the English language. The data revealed that these participants differ widely in their attitudes towards being trained in English while teaching in the medium of mother tongue.

Almost half of the participants were positive, and they regard the training as an effective one.

These four participants (Hela, Ina, Ilja and Lia) possessed the same view regarding the offered training in English while teaching in mother’s tongue. Some teachers state that the pre-service training itself is adequate, while the other group expressed that the training is inadequate.

Page 44 a) Effectiveness of the training

For the teachers witnessed the training as an effective one, one participant described it to be helpful as there were Oshindonga lecturers that assisted in planning the lessons for all the subjects as well as how to make appropriate teaching and learning materials. Similarly, two teachers agreed that the training is preparing the teachers with the needed expertise and experiences for the demand of teaching through mother tongue, because student teachers are given one course in mother tongue, the language that they are going to use when start teaching.

One participant indicated that there is no any problem at the institution because at the institution one must specialise by having one mother tongue and given training in that specific mother tongue in a way that one is going to teach. If there are problems, the participant insisted that it lies with the new curriculum of education which is saying that learners from pre to grade three should be taught in the mother tongue. When the teacher was asked whether the pre-service teacher training prepares teachers with the expertise and knowledge or not to teach in the medium of the mother tongue, the response was:

“Yes, they do. Because once you learn there even if you come here, you just have to stress everything that you have learned” (Ilja).

However, one teacher has two ideas regarding whether the training is preparing the teachers with the needed expertise and knowledge or not. In the responses, it is agreed that the training prepares teachers; however, it could be more natural to the teachers if the training could be conducted in the medium mother so that when teachers move to the schools from the institution, they will use the same language. The teachers specified that it becomes a challenge especially in the first year of teaching when there two different languages are being used as it appears to be different from school, for instance, teaching in the medium of Oshindonga while trained in the medium of English language. The teacher tends to struggle here and there when employed at a school that use mother tongue instruction unlike when employed at the school that use English, the same language that is used at the university.

b) Inadequate training

However more than half of the participants (6 teachers) disagreed with their colleagues’ point of views. They thought that the training had not provided them with the necessary training to teach in the medium of mother tongues because they were trained in English. These teachers believed that the training does not benefit all teachers especially the pre and junior primary

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teachers who convey all the subjects in the medium of Oshindonga language. Few teachers expressed that the training is inadequate. They said that those teachers are not prepared with the needed expertise and experiences for the demand of teaching through mother tongue. One participant disagrees that received training is inadequate because it does not prepare teachers since one is lectured in English and finding himself/herself teaching in another language, which is mother tongue that was done some years back. It is signal that the teachers are forced to teach that language in a way that it might be not be given in a way it supposed to be said, and this led to seeking for assistance all the times from others and source, which is also a wastes time. On the same point, another participant responded as follows:

“They are not really prepared. They are not, they don’t really have that experience as when they are at their tertiary education they are, they get their training in English and then when they come to school to teach, they have to teach in the medium of the mother tongue. So, I think it is more difficult for them” (Ina).

Alternative comment that one teacher made is that the training is not sufficient because two different languages are being used, and thus make it difficult to teachers to teach in the medium of mother tongue at the beginning. The participant showed that when teachers are sent to go work, teaching in the medium of the mother tongue, it is a bit challenging to new teachers to them because they are just used to English but then they have to teach in their mother tongue.

The needed training is not captured by these teachers, only if the student teachers could be taught in the same language that they are going to use in their classrooms that will be better.

The findings revealed that the participant feels to be insufficiently trained because of the language of instruction that is different from the language that is being used in the classroom.

The participant expressed that if one is expected to teach in Oshindonga or Oshikwanyama for example while trained in English, there is a contradiction between the two. Using the first language at both university and school as a language of instruction will help the teachers because not all teachers have that knowledge and deep in-depth understanding of the language although is their first language. Another teacher indicated the same idea of being taught in English while teaching all the subjects in mother tongue by saying:

I don’t think that is the case, because, we are only taught that specific tongue in Oshindonga, and then when you are going to teach all the subjects;

Mathematics, environmental studies, RME, arts, physical education you are

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teaching all those subjects in the vernacular language, which becomes very difficult” (Dila).

The perceptions of the teachers on the pre-service training resulted that the training mechanisms have helped the teachers cope with their teaching practice at the same time following the policy guidelines at school. The teachers perceive the training differently as adequate to some, and inadequate to others and they have given reasons for that.