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Letter of the Day - Shun Patois drivel!
Published: Saturday | June 22, 2013 21 Comments
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Please take a look at the front page of Wednesday's edition of your esteemed paper, 'GSAT results cause great concern'. It should be noted that the minister of education, Ronald Thwaites, expressed his disappointment in the examination results.
Included in the results is a course named 'communication task', which is largely the English-language paper that has fallen from 75 per cent mastery last year to 71 per cent in 2013.
When I looked at the opinion page of the same edition of your paper, I saw the headline 'Give Patois its rightful place in the classroom'. This is coming from no less a person than Sylvia Kouwenberg, professor of linguistics and head of the Department of Languages, Linguistics and Philosophy at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Editor, you tell me: How is Minister Thwaites going to get the children to achieve the 85 per cent mastery in English language by 2015 if people like Professor Kouwenberg keep postulating this nonsense?
She writes about the global currency of the Jamaican Creole and mentioned the VW ad as a back-up to her utterance. What global currency? The VW ad was more a joke than anything else.
The fact of the matter is that most, if not all, of our Jamaican children were born in Patois. They know Patois and they speak Patois. They do not need to be taught Patois in the classroom.
PUSH FOR PROGRESS
The emphasis from the ministry's point of view must be the teaching of Standard English in the classroom to Jamaican children so they will be able to pass their examinations with distinction and be able to matriculate to the best universities in the world.
This will also enable them to communicate effectively in their future endeavours with people of the highest calibre.
Some folks at the UWI, Mona, like professors Devonish, Cooper and Kouwenberg, with their continued campaign to have Patois officially taught in the classroom, do not seem to wish the Jamaican children well.
Mr Minister, do not listen to these privileged scholars or pay any attention to their relentless campaign, or you will never achieve your aim of having the Jamaican children performing at the highest level.
ROY WILSON
royhwilson876@gmail.com
Published: Saturday | June 22, 2013 21 Comments
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Please take a look at the front page of Wednesday's edition of your esteemed paper, 'GSAT results cause great concern'. It should be noted that the minister of education, Ronald Thwaites, expressed his disappointment in the examination results.
Included in the results is a course named 'communication task', which is largely the English-language paper that has fallen from 75 per cent mastery last year to 71 per cent in 2013.
When I looked at the opinion page of the same edition of your paper, I saw the headline 'Give Patois its rightful place in the classroom'. This is coming from no less a person than Sylvia Kouwenberg, professor of linguistics and head of the Department of Languages, Linguistics and Philosophy at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Editor, you tell me: How is Minister Thwaites going to get the children to achieve the 85 per cent mastery in English language by 2015 if people like Professor Kouwenberg keep postulating this nonsense?
She writes about the global currency of the Jamaican Creole and mentioned the VW ad as a back-up to her utterance. What global currency? The VW ad was more a joke than anything else.
The fact of the matter is that most, if not all, of our Jamaican children were born in Patois. They know Patois and they speak Patois. They do not need to be taught Patois in the classroom.
PUSH FOR PROGRESS
The emphasis from the ministry's point of view must be the teaching of Standard English in the classroom to Jamaican children so they will be able to pass their examinations with distinction and be able to matriculate to the best universities in the world.
This will also enable them to communicate effectively in their future endeavours with people of the highest calibre.
Some folks at the UWI, Mona, like professors Devonish, Cooper and Kouwenberg, with their continued campaign to have Patois officially taught in the classroom, do not seem to wish the Jamaican children well.
Mr Minister, do not listen to these privileged scholars or pay any attention to their relentless campaign, or you will never achieve your aim of having the Jamaican children performing at the highest level.
ROY WILSON
royhwilson876@gmail.com
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