Running head: CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN 1

Considerations for Teaching EFL in Madagascar

Martha Wright

Robin-Rhodes Crowell

6 May 2019

CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 2

Abstract

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian ocean off the coast of . It’s a fairly diverse island, the population being predominantly rural and poor, with large families and chronic malnutrition prevalent. The vast majority of people speak the indigenous national

Malagasy language, although French is spoken in some parts of the country. Many of the EFL volunteers who come to Madagascar aim to teach conversational English to the students.

Teaching EFL in Madagascar comes with challenges. Only one in three children will complete primary , and schools are severely under-funded. There is an unequal distribution of educational resources across the country, so poor and rural communities can only attend seriously disadvantaged public schools. This paper considers and gives insight into the many different aspects of teaching English in Madagascar like the language barriers, lack of proper health and resources, and the different cultural dimensions the island has. Although Madagascar seems like it is in shambles right now, the country is potentially headed in the right direction with all the different organizations that are donating and sending volunteers to make the education system and the country better as a whole.

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Madagascar is the fourth largest island country in the world off the east coast of Africa, having a population of almost 27 million people as of 2019. Its people obtain many different lifestyles and cultures and are what make the island so unique ((Madagascar population 2019).

Madagascar has a variety of climates throughout the country and is known to have the some of the most diverse and exotic wildlife, with many species being endemic to island, meaning that they are not found anywhere else in the world. It gained its independence in 1960, but since then has been plagued by assassinations, military coups, and disputed elections, which has not been great for the country’s economic status as a whole, especially the education system.

Teaching English in Madagascar is fairly similar to teaching in other nearby African countries due to its lack of resources, common diseases and issues inside of the classroom. Also due to the fact that it is one of the poorest countries in the world right now, teaching English there is proven difficult. Other African nations have progressed rapidly in health and education, but Madagascar has stagnated or regressed. Half of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnourishment, the fourth-highest rate in the world. At least 1.5 million children do not attend school, which the world bank estimates could be an increase of 600,000 since 2009 (Ross 2013).

The nation is in a drastic state of poverty especially in the rural areas because of the changes in power in the government, which has caused the education system to be underfunded and fall apart. Education is hard to come by because many people can’t afford it and are forced to take their children out of school, or not even enroll them at all. Though despite the hardships it’s going through, Madagascar is a country that is unique because it is bilingual, most of the nation speaking Malagasy and the rest speaking French. English is also considered an official language, CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 4 though not spoken by many people or as often. It is common for EFL volunteers to travel to the country if they have a strong urge to teach English and are qualified to do so. There have been many volunteers who travel to there to teach English, which has been beneficial to the students and Malagasy people because it is a step in the right direction to improving the education system.

The experience teaching in Madagascar will be rewarding, but it also comes with challenges.

This paper will give insight on the language barriers, health, lack of resources and the climbing poverty rate which have all impacted the country as a whole, especially the education system, and are important things to consider if you ever want to travel to Madagascar as an EFL teacher.

Education in Madagascar is compulsory for children between the ages of six and fourteen, and the current education system provides primary schooling for five years, from ages six to eleven. Then secondary education lasts for seven years and is divided into two parts: a junior secondary level of four years from twelve to fifteen years old, and a senior secondary level of three years from sixteen to eighteen years old. The education system in Madagascar is struggling though, because many schools throughout the country are severely underfunded.

Because of the recent political crisis, the funding for education has been cut by 20-30%, so as a result, funds and materials are not reaching schools (Madagascar Education). It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with “less than 3% of GDP that is spent on its education system compared with just over 5% for similar countries in Africa” (Madagascar Education). But despite the poverty, the gradual expansion of educational opportunities has had an impressive impact on society. The literacy level of the general population has raised significantly. Only 39 percent of the population could be considered literate in 1966, and the Children's Fund

(UNICEF) estimated that this number had risen to 50 percent at the beginning of the 1980s and to 80 percent in 1991 (Education in Madagascar). CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 5

Madagascar’s national language is the Malagasy language that is spoken by a majority of the country. Malagasy is a Malayo-Polynesian language which has different but mutually intelligible dialects and is spoken throughout different regions of Madagascar. The Merina dialect has come to be considered the standard literary form of the language in the country.

Instruction in French is preferred by the coastal peoples, as it avoids connotations of Merina cultural dominance. English and French are considered official languages of the country, but

English is really only known and learned by choice by some people, mostly for the tourist business and job opportunities. Historically, there has been an education system that rewards those who are the most proficient in the French language, despite the fact that the country is officially bilingual (English in Madagascar). Most lessons favor the French language, which puts the students who speak Malagasy at a disadvantage. As of 1994, it was estimated that only between 20,000 and 30,000 citizens are considered truly fluent in the French language and that another 2 million citizens have received, at best, a passive high school-level competence in the language. The vast majority (8 to 9 million people) speak only Malagasy and, therefore, potentially find themselves at a distinct disadvantage in terms of future advancement (Education in Madagascar).

In regard to teaching, the audiolingual is the most popular among native teachers in Madagascar, which focuses heavily on language drills (Folse 2006). The audiolingual approach to teaching is not necessarily the most effective way to teach a language because the primary focus is on grammar, which is one of the reasons that students who have studied English for ten years cannot even introduce themselves in English (Folse 2006). The construction, morphology, syntax and vocabulary of French and English are very different and have no linkage to Malagasy (Dahl 2011). This language barrier and the fact the country is bilingual is a big CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 6 factor in how well students do in learning English. However, the direct method is being used widely in many countries and has begun to be a viable alternative to many approaches. It has

“enthusiastic followers among language teachers in many countries” and is much more interactive than most other approaches. It would work well in a classroom in Madagascar because students are more motivated to learn. The teacher can provide comprehensible input and focus on more meaningful aspects of the language that relates to everyday life, rather than the fake reality of a textbook. This language barrier and the different languages spoken is really important to consider if you are going to teach in Madagascar because you will have to know both languages in order to be an effective teacher, as the students will come from a range of language backgrounds. If you have the ability to communicate even just a little bit in their first languages, then it helps especially when teaching English.

There is a large difference in student performance and resources available when it comes to private school education and public-school education. In a study done by Lassibile and Tan

(2003), they found that “private schools are generally more efficient than public schools in the sense that a student with a given set of personal characteristics who attends a private school would obtain a higher score than he or she would in a public school with the same level of inputs.” Furthermore, within the public system, some schools are more efficient than others, as evidenced by the lack of a strong relation between funding and learning outcomes across schools. Private schools account for about 23% of children enrolled, as primary education is mostly provided by the public sector (Mattingly & Ratsifandrihamanana, 2016). In many rural areas, children continue to enroll late as well and others often repeat classes, resulting in many over-age children in school (Mattingly & Ratsifandrihamanana 2016). Students tend to learn CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 7 better and produce higher test scores when they are in a public school rather than a private one, which is a big implication of the type of student that an EFL teacher might end up having.

Many of the rural schools have very limited resources compared to the more urban schools, so rural students may perform worse in school due to indirect effects of not having electricity and other amenities. Most homework is completed in the evening after students finish homework, so this lack of electricity causes students to have less time to study compared to students in homes with electricity (Venart & Reuter). When it comes to public schools, at the primary level, learning conditions are difficult and “a total of 23% of children are without desks, only 23% of schools have a library, and there is an average of three computers per 10 schools”

(Mattingly & Ratsifandrihamanana 2016). There is a lack of substantial infrastructure, equipment and furniture in schools as well, and with the such large class sizes it is already very difficult to manage the children, so the lack of resources only exacerbates that problem.

Since Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, some of the major issues throughout the country are health and lack of resources in the classroom, causing schools, mostly primary, to be in proficient in many ways. The overall health issues that have been occurring across the entire country, especially in rural areas, has been impacting how often students come to school and the schooling systems in general. Malaria remains one of the major health problems and causes a large number of deaths per year. It mostly affects rural areas, and infant mortality rate remains higher than the world average, but recently, deaths from malaria which is endemic across the island, are being significantly reduced (Southall & Dresch). As of 2004, there were approximately 140,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, and there were an estimated 7,500 deaths from AIDS in 2003 (Madagascar 2009). Chronic malnutrition is a silent but deadly disease that is “affecting 47% of children under five in Madagascar, which has the CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 8 fourth highest chronic malnutrition rate in the world” (The World Bank). It is something a lot of children experience and is a very big part of life for Malagasy people. The physical state of children in the classroom and what they are being provided while in school is something really important to consider when teaching because overall well-being does affect a child’s education dramatically. Another problem is the fact that there is a lack of clean water and running water at a large percentage of schools. In fact, only 18% of Madagascar's schools have access to drinking water and only 30% have toilets (Madagascar Education). As a result, many pupils frequently fall sick and don't attend classes, which is impacting their already disadvantaged education. With these conditions, utilizing reflective teaching skills would be beneficial and the “impact of the classroom’s physical environment” is something really important to consider (Celce-Murica

2014). It is important to reflect on environmental factors that are impacting how students learn and try to find ways to go around the problems, or even try to fix them.

The general population can be divided into 18 tribes, no single group holding a majority.

(Madagascar 2009). The Merina and Betsileo ethnic groups live in the central highlands and show evidence of Asian origin, while the coastal peoples, such as the Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, and Sakalava, are of predominantly African origin. (Madagascar 2009). There is still known to be resentment toward the Merina and their dominant position by the other ethnic groups in the country, which is still a source of social unrest. These different ethnic groups live in different parts of the country, so some teaching programs may place you in part of the country with an entirely new climate and ethnic group, which is one of the things to take into consideration when teaching there as well, considering the country is so diverse.

It’s important to be aware of the culture around you and the different reasons that a student in Madagascar might be wanting to learn English. It is very possible that a lot of the CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 9 older students and adults only need to know English for the tourism industry. They need to be able to communicate with tourists and with volunteers who come to the country to teach or to do other volunteering. They don’t necessarily want to speak English conversationally with each other because it is not a native language of the country and many native people know very little or no English at all. As McKay mentions in Culture in Teaching English, it is very important that when teaching English to children and adults in Madagascar, that they see the language

“presented in contexts that relate to their own lives as young adults rather than to see it presented in the context of an English-speaking country” (Mckay 2002). It is very important for the

Malagasy people to stay true to their own culture and not have an English teacher from the US come in and change their way of living, as that’s not how it should work. The same goes for all countries, not just Madagascar. The students are learning English for specific reasons and aren’t trying to switch their way of life or their culture.

Madagascar has mostly typical African values and traditions regarding gender roles, but the country is slowly taking a step in the right direction of equality regarding women’s rights and their education. Article 6 of Madagascar’s constitution recognizes that “all individuals have equal rights and enjoy the same fundamental freedoms, protected by law without any discrimination based on sex, education, wealth, origin, religious belief or opinion”

(Razafindrakoto 2016). However, in some areas, traditional customs and stereotypes still prevail and regulate women’s everyday lives (Razafindrakoto 2016). There has been an increase in women’s literacy and also an increase in the number of women that attend school in Madagascar ever since the constitution was put in place, so this is a really important thing to consider when teaching, especially young adults, as women may be more present in classes, but they still do have a much higher illiteracy rate. CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 10

In 2003, the government introduced the teaching of English in primary schools and since then there has been a dramatic increase in the need for English instruction, so many teacher positions are readily available. There are many programs that are supporting schools, and thanks to them, teachers have what they need to keep teaching and students have what they need to keep learning. Peace Corp is one of the main organizations that offer positions in Madagascar. Some of the necessary skills that are needed when traveling to Madagascar to teach English is a

TESOL certification, experience working in schools and/or with young adults, a very strong desire to teach English and the ability to adapt teaching methodologies to Madagascar’s educational system (Peace Corps). There is not a prerequisite of language skills, but volunteers are required to learn the Malagasy language and also should have some French skills as the country is bilingual. There are some programs that are paid and may have some benefits as well.

The pay is calculated on an hourly basis and different pay rates are applies for different types of teaching work. The salary is starting from approximately 550 USD/month, and even up to 1,100

USD per month, depending on the capacity, availability and experience of teachers. (ESL

BASE). Also, passport holders can obtain a 90-day tourist visa once they enter Madagascar for

$50, and you can also apply for a work visa as well, depending on how long you plan on staying.

Most volunteers and paid teachers have had a lifechanging experience when traveling to

Madagascar, and it is a rewarding experience considering the many setbacks throughout the country that hinder the education system for so many.

Madagascar is a very interesting, diverse, place to go teach English and is very unique and rich in different cultures and languages. Despite many setbacks, such as the difficulties of being bilingual, having to teach both languages, and the chronic poverty rate and declining health of the population, the country of Madagascar is slowing starting to see some improvements. If CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 11 more and more people decide to volunteer to teach EFL in Madagascar, then the country will have more teachers, more school attendance, and the education system will improve drastically.

Once the education system improves, then the literacy rate will go up and the country will prosper and hopefully they will have a bright future ahead of them. Teaching in Madagascar may not seem super appealing based on the current status of the country, but even a short time spent volunteering can make all the difference to improve education on the diverse island country and around the world as well.

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