Recommendations

Through my experience as a citizen of Lesotho, I know that the two official languages, namely Sesotho and English, are used around the country, depending on different situations. Sesotho is used to a larger extent on a daily basis, compared to English; English is regarded as a language of power and prestige. “English is the language of the elite and a stepping-stone for those who want to succeed professionally” (Fandrych, 2003:16). As a result, the teaching and learning of this language is highly appreciated not only by the elite but even by those who do not have formal education and send their children to schools in the hope that they will learn English. As a citizen of Lesotho, I am worried about the English language teaching curriculum used in the country. The curriculum is internationally developed in countries where English is spoken as a home language; therefore, I believe that the Lesotho education authorities should look at the curriculum and consider the inclusion of local texts, situations and context.

5.6.1 Contextualisation

The teaching of language needs constant contextualisation. Educators should be able to relate the situations described in texts to the real lives of learners so that learners can adapt the language to their needs. By including situations that deal with local context, learners will be able to arrive at meaning in different situations, as any kind of information is more easily understood if related to context. As the COELS is deficient in this area, the Lesotho education authorities should consider the value of including topics that deal with local culture and support the selection of methodology that is appropriate to the local educational context. By contextualising language to give real communicative value, learners will be helped to remember the language used and recall it, even for future purposes.

5.6.2 Workshops and seminars

Because of identified gaps in COELS, there is a need for regular workshops and seminars for practising teachers to familiarise them with current approaches and methodologies for language teaching. This would allow teachers to exchange ideas and build their confidence in teaching, for they will be sure of how teaching should implement current approaches and methodologies. This means that curriculum

Page 84 exceeds the level of stated aims and syllabus documentation and involves consideration of the curriculum from the perspective of teachers‟ work, so that improving teachers‟ knowledge and skills is also part of curriculum policy (National Education Policy Investigation [NEPI], 1994:2). Additionally, there is a need for training on inclusion of local material in teaching. This includes clear guidelines and choice of local texts that are relevant and appropriate.

The fact that listening and speaking skills are not tested in COELS implies the need for further training of teachers on assessment of these skills. These are vital communication skills that should not only be encouraged across the curriculum but need to be tested so that their contribution in language learning is recognised and acknowledged.

Lesotho teachers also need to develop teaching strategies that include group and peer learning and assessment as evidence of the social nature of learning. However, in the case of crowded classrooms educators should monitor group and peer learning by keeping learners with real life (authentic) materials and activities so that learners are not drifted away by irrelevant discussions and dependency on fellow learners. This helps learners to remain active agents in their own learning as elaborated in Section 2.5.5. Group and peer learning in this regard is vital for learners engage better in real communication as they interact among themselves than when they only interact with the educator (see Section 2.5.6).

5.6.3 Curriculum developers

Curriculum developers in Lesotho should seek advice from others who have dealt with the same challenges. The development of a local first additional language curriculum that meets both the learners‟ and the country‟s needs is important in this case. The curriculum should be developed in such a way that it is relevant, sensitive and appropriate for teaching and learning of English as a first additional language. It should give educators and learners the opportunity to link the first additional language with the first language by acknowledging local context and situations, while being sensitive to global imperatives. This means that countries like Lesotho should develop their own English curricula that suit the local context and situations. Such curricula should recognise the value of including local culture. Culture is recognised

Page 85 as instrumental in shaping speakers‟ communicative competence in both their first and subsequent languages (Savignon, 2002:6). However, global imperatives must not be left out, and all learners who may not have access to libraries and online content need to be provided for so that learning is balanced.

Even though the NCAPS provides examples on texts that can be used for integrated teaching of language skills, curriculum developers need to create guidelines for choosing appropriate and relevant material that are local and that will integrate other subjects in the teaching of English as a first additional language. In terms of curricular integration, NCAPS focuses more on integration of texts and overlooks guidelines on the integration of subjects, which is vital so that English is taught across the curriculum, as “language competence is necessary for learning in all subject areas”(Jacobs & Farrell, 2003:14). On the same note, guidance on curricular integration so that educators and learners can create an overlap in different subject areas is yet another point to be considered so that connections are made even beyond the language class.