Abstract
This study explored the condition of being a child and a primary school student in Semi-Pastoral Society of Eastern Ethiopia. The study was instigated by the widespread complaints in the aftermath of Millennium Development Goal two (MDG2) that in eastern Ethiopia of (semi-) pastoralist community, children are left far behind with not only the opportunity to literacy. The aim of this study was to assess the existing EFL primary school literacy achievements, success and challenges in the Dire Dawa Town suburbs of Oromo and Somali semi-pastoralist communities. Adopting an ethnographic participant observation approach, five primary schools were selected based on convenience or accessibility. Totally, twenty-five active primary schools Grade 4 children and 14 dropouts were sampled based on availability sampling technique from the five schools. A Basic Vocabulary Assessment Battery (BVAB) was designed as a primary data collection tool. Besides, School Observation and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were employed. The BVAB results of those actively schooling indicate, in contrast to our original hypothesis, fair level of English literacy. However, the FDG data obtained from the dropouts confirmed our hypothesis that abject poverty and the fragility of implementing the policy of children’s rights to education in their mother tongues are stumbling blocks to literacy as well as opportunity to schooling. Important policy implications are offered.
Highlights
Primary children’s literacy is different from general literacy
This study is motivated by the interest to understand the condition of primary literacy, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Millennium Development Goals
International Journal of Elementary Education 2019; 8(2): 38-44 confusions again: What about other languages? Where is the border? According to the 1994 census result, the major ethnic groups of the residents of Dire Dawa administrative council were found to be 48% Oromo, 27.7% Amahra, 13.9% Somali, 4.5% Guragie (2.3% Sebat Bet, 0.8% Sodo and 1.4% Silte) and 5.9% others
Summary
Primary children’s literacy is different from general literacy. In Paulo Freirean critical pedagogy theory, literacy is, in general, the ability or opportunity to name, reflect, act upon and change own world. For children of primary schools three Freirean processes are essential, namely coding (whatis-said), codification (what-is-meant) and decodification (interpretation, e.g., learning the relationship of letters to sounds), which are learned correlatively and simultaneously. This study is motivated by the interest to understand the condition of primary literacy, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Millennium Development Goals. This is important given the huge promises and investments made nationally and internationally, to primary schooling in the (semi-) pastoralist communities. Availability of textual materials or codifications for reading or decodification iii.Opportunity to continue literacy without interruption the study aims at identifying what the learning environment must be like in the context in order that adequate level and continuation of literacy is possible for the children
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