Second language programme evaluation in Namibia: Toward identifying criteria

Abstract

At the attainment of independence by Namibia in 1990, English, which had 0,8% of the population of 1,5 million as mother tongue speakers (Brock-Utne, 2000: 186; Phillipson, Skutnabb-Kangas & Africa, 1986:78), became the official language of government and education. The decision to make English the official language had a clear socio-political basis: it was the result of a policy decision of the majority party, SWAPO, implemented after it had won the first national election (Chamberlain, West, Kleinhans, Minnaar & Bock, 1993:2). The response of the education authorities to this decision was to opt for English as the language of instruction. Since the majority of Namibian learners have an African language as their first language, the result of this choice has been that decisions involving the selection of English second language programmes and courses have gained importance. Apart from other implications, the language policy for schools has meant that l9a9h9rs - the most important agents in the transformation of education - were confronted with the fact that English, now the medium of instruction after the lower primary Grades I to 4 (Ministry of Education and Culture [MEC], 1993b), was not the language in which the majority of them had received training. Prior to Independence, Afrikaans was the medium of instruction for tertiary education. English now replaced Afrikaans at the Lower Primary level (i.e. from Grades I to 4) either as a subject or as a second language.