Running Head: CONSIDERATIONS for TEACHING EFL in MADAGASCAR 1
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Running head: CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 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 Africa. 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 education, 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. CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING EFL IN MADAGASCAR 3 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 United Nations 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 teaching method 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.