English versus Creole
published: Monday | March 17, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
AS WE read about and listen to discussions on the plight of Jamaicans who migrate to the United Kingdom and other countries without the language skills necessary to function in an environment where English is spoken, we should bear in mind that the official language of Jamaica is still English, and as important as accepting one's language is to building self esteem, we should not forget that English is the language of education in Jamaica. Focusing on Jamaican Creole will only help to produce more school-leavers who are unable to understand, speak or write English.
Teachers of English should not allow themselves to be side-tracked and drawn into patois-pushing exercises instead of teaching English as they are employed to do. It is wise to leave the task of promoting Jamaican Creole to professors who are proficient in English and perfectly capable of using that language in making a case for Jamaican Creole to be accepted as a language equal to English; and as such Jamaican Creole should be accorded the respect concomitant with such status.
Teachers of English should also bear in mind that teachers of other subjects do a good job of promoting Creole in the classroom. They take no responsibility for teaching English. They are not the ones blamed for the alleged poor performance of students in English examinations. The onus is on the teachers of English to be good models for their students and to see to it that their students learn English, the official language of Jamaica, so that whether school leavers migrate or remain in Jamaica they are proficient in English.
