One of the first few milestones children at a young age achieve is learning how to speak their mothers tongue then it later transitions on how to read words that are written.Communication, interpretation, evaluation and analyzing information, are based on the capability to effectively comprehend language.
The recent statistics of Botswanas’ s literacy rate is estimated around 90%,Now the question that i ask myself is, in this 90%, how many people in Botswana are able to read,write, speak and understand setswana.
I am passionate about teaching, specifically the setswana language, 80% of people in Botswana speak setswana as their first language. Language is the basis of which every subject is built upon, an academic backbone depends on language before diving into concepts.
It is more than being able to read out words but being able to connect ideas, thoughts as well as interpreting and understanding messages. It’s a life skill that opens doors, academically, career wise.
Setswana is given a low status and hence most authorities, educators and
students have a negative attitude towards it due to various reasons such as: not being regarded as a passing subject, not a requirement for further education and limited professional occupation (Ramahobo, 1999; Molosiwa, 2000).
I am here to change that narrative and help you view reading as the main block of success.
Learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, behaviors or attitudes through study, experience or teaching. Source (Educational psychology book)
Reading involves reading books therefore it helps one come across different new words and meanings, for example novels. There will be a lot of new difficult words therefore a reader will be exposed to new words thus improving vocabulary and their thinking skills.
Moreover, thinking skills get sharpened as one can think and reason. Reasoning will also lead to one having different ways of solving problems due to understanding whatever the issue will be.
Reading also improves vocabulary and thinking as one will be reading books and novels therefore being exposed to different perspectives and thoughts of the author.
A lot of students cannot follow instructions not because they are bad students or not disciplined but the reason being that they cannot read and understand,
for example, if in a test the instruction says answer only one question, the student will answer all the questions and fail only because he couldn’t read and understand the instructions.
Therefore, reading fluently helps students grasp what is expected of them and avoid confusion, more importantly excelling in their academic work because they understand what is expected of them.
If a student or an individual can read and understand they become confident in speaking, knowing well that they can share their thoughts, ideas as well as answering questions, as they have an idea of how to explain things clearly and connect ideas.
It also helps them to speak in front of others or people and participate in class discussions because they’ll be having an idea on what’s being discussed and understanding it.
Adding confidence in writing, if one has a reading habit, helps them write better.
As regular reading stimulates brain activity, helping form and reinforce neutral pathways related to memory and comprehension.Reading requires focus, which enhances attention span essential for memory retention
In my village (Maun), there was a student who struggled in reading Setswana. I helped a student read a short Setswana storybook as well as teaching her the pronunciation of words. Over weeks, she began reading on her own. This is because the student got familiar with different Setswana words which made the student more interested and improved her vocabulary, that is why she was able to read on her own. Teaching impacted a life as currently the student is doing so well.
|
YEAR |
POINTS ACHIEVED |
PERCENTAGE |
|
2023 |
36 and above |
27.44% |
|
2024 |
36 and above |
27.20% |
|
DIFFERENCE |
0.24% |
SOURCE: www.bec.co.bw (Internal school analysis of BGCSE results)
NB: The above table shows a small drop in the proportion of high achieving students.
It shows how strong reading skills contribute to high academic performance, that lack of strong reading habits affects the ability to grasp complex content leading to failure.
The performance difference, although small, can act as a warning sign for educators.
In conclusion, a reading child becomes a thinking adult and may also be able to connect ideas, give thoughts and participate in different areas where he needs to participate. Teachers, parents, and youth leaders must lead by example so young ones may copy and learn from them as we know that a lot of young ones copy what they see from their elders.
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Pick a story this week. Read it with a sibling or neighbor. Reading together builds stronger communities. It even helps in discussing and sharing different ideas and thoughts about the story, also helping each other with meanings.
While you may speak setswana fluently, learning it in a formal setting helps develop writing, reading and formal communication skills
Writing proficiently is often required for academic papers, reports and professional documents
Practice helps reinforce learning, it helps build confidence as well as developing skills.
There are different ways of learning. It can be through a combination of visual, auditory and hands-on experiences, tailored to one’s learning style.
Effective learning strategies include setting goals, breaking tasks into smaller steps, using active learning techniques and seeking feedback.
Staying motivated involves setting achievable goals, celebrating progress and finding meaning and relevance in what you’re learning.
Read our blogs on our website to stay motivated