An Investigation Of Challenges Experienced By Teachers Who Are Teaching Through Afrikaans Medium Of Instruction: A Case Of Four Selected primary schools in windhoek

ABSTRACT

The Language Policy for Schools in Namibia states that for pedagogical reasons it is ideal for learners to study through their Mother Tongue (MT), particularly in the early years of schooling when basic skills of reading, writing and concept formation are acquired. In order to be literate, one should not only speak well, but also know the written language, as language is the system of human expression by means of words (Republic of Namibia, 2003). Therefore, the system of human expression by means of words needs to be fully functional for people to be in a position to communicate and understand each other. This paper presents challenges experienced by teachers who are Teaching Through Afrikaans Medium of Instruction (TTAMI) at primary schools in Windhoek. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The study is qualitative in nature and is positioned within the interpretive paradigm. Purposive sampling was used to select fourteen (14) Afrikaans Medium of Instruction (AMI) teachers to generate data from each selected primary school in Windhoek, Khomas region. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of NonAfrikaans Mother Tongue (NAMT) speaking learners are enrolled and placed in Afrikaans Medium of Instruction (AMI) classes, which leads to challenges experienced by teachers who are Teaching Through Afrikaans Medium of Instruction (TTAMI) in the Junior Primary Phase (JPP), grade zero to three. It was found that Afrikaans Mother Tongue (AMT) native speakers as well as the non-native speakers recommend yearly inservice professional development trainings, because of the difficulties they experience in Teaching Through Afrikaans as a Medium of Instruction (TTAMI).