Abstract:
This study examined the pedagogic relevance of post-independent Namibian literature assessing the texts selected for tertiary and high school studies and evaluating course delivery methodologies. The study engaged chiefly the Namibian literature course facilitators of the two universities in Windhoek and collected the views of high school teachers and students in different regions of Namibia. The study also engaged the current University MA candidates in language departments through questionnaires. Through in-depth interviews, the research also sensitised educators, curriculum designers at NIED and high school learners to the significance of studying and reading Namibian literature in English. Significantly, the project advocated persuasively the inclusion of many more Namibian literary texts in the English curriculum at all levels of the Namibian education system. Visiting a total of 23 high schools and 2 public universities, the team collected 69 questionnaires, conducted 31 interviews with high school teachers and 32 with learners during 2018 and 2019. The views of 5 university lecturers and 2 language experts at NIED were also included in this report. A review of the latest (2018) Namibian high school curriculum (Grade 9-12) shows us that only two Namibian literary texts: Sifiso Nyathis’ God of Women and a poem about Hendrik Witbooi were included in the new ESL syllabus along with other European canonical poems, plays and novels. The research team did not discover a single Namibian short story, novel or an autobiography as part of the high school ESL syllabus. The research team expected that in order to inculcate a reading and writing culture in Namibia, Namibian children’s literature in English should have been introduced at the lower level, too. The Namibian high school ESL syllabus has given more focus on the descriptive, functional and communicative grammar tasks, essay writing exercises and short piece composition activities. The imaginative writing and creative thinking part of language teaching has almost been disused. On the contrary, at the tertiary level, it can be conspicuously observed that there exists a tremendous growth of research niche areas in the Namibian texts at UNAM and NUST. The research team documented the diversity of genres studied by the postgraduate Namibian students of language and literature departments of UNAM and NUST. Respondents who completed questionnaires and engaged in interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD’s) recommended that literature in the Namibian high schools be taught to enhance the linguistic capabilities, overall personalities, the literary competencies of high school learners and inculcate the diverse Namibian cultures, values and traditions. This research has recommended a wide range of text selection strategies and listed several Namibian literary texts which can be studied either by the university or high school learners of English as subjects or research niche areas.
