Overview
- Lesson Title: Rote Learning-This is a commentary about education.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 2+/3
- ACTFL Proficiency: Superior, Advanced-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Reading
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LLO
- Publication Year: 2009
- ObjectID: T8RHA06
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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Jahilci Ko Gurguntaccen Ilimi A gaskiya Magana kamar yadda Freire ya yi nuni cewa, “Babu wata duniya illa wannan da mutane ke cikinta, haka babu wata rayuwa a cikinta, ilia wannan da mutane ke yi a duniyarsu. Duk wani tsoro, ko guri game da rayuwa dole ne ]an-Adam ya tinkare su ta neman ilimin da yadda zai hukunta rayuwa a duniyarsa ta amfani da iliminsa wato kenan sahihin ilimi ya fi hasken rana saboda yana yaye zato da rashin tabbas bayan haskaka hanyar da za a bi, ko ake kai. Ubangiji da kanSa, cikin wahayinSa mai tsarki da Ya yi wa Annabi wahayin, Ya yi tambaya, kamar haka, “ka ce, “Ashe, wa]anda suka sani, suna daidaita da wa]anda ba su sani ba? Masu hankali kawai ke yin tunani.” Wannan ya nuna a fili cewa a cusa jama’a cikin jahilci, ko a ba su ilimin surkulle, ba wai zaluncin mutum ga mutum bane har ma sa~on Allah Ubangiji ne saboda hana mutane su nemi sahihin ilimi. Al’ummar da suka sami kansu a daular danniya, hanyoyin neman ilminsu, idan ma akwai, sukan kasanee sun bambanta da na sauran al’umma, da ba su fama da wannan u}ubar jahilcin. Idan aka duba tsarin hanyar ba da ilimi a wajen ko cikin makaranta, za a fahimci cewa, karatu ne na sigar “Karatun aku” A koyaushe malami shi ne mai fa]a, saboda wai shi ka]ai ake jin fasihi ne domin haka shi ne masani. [alibi kuwa shi ne, a irin wannan tsari, ake bu}ata ya yi shiru, ya saurari malami cikin natsuwa, domin ya ji abin da yake fa]a. Wannan yanayi da hali haka suke a kowane darasi, ko na lissafi, ko na tarihi, ko na labarin }asa, haka ko da na abubuwan da ke faruwa ne a yau da kullum a }asa a wannan lokaci. Domin haka da malamin, wanda shi ne kawai yake Magana, da ]alibin, wanda nasa kawai sauraro ne, duka ba mai jin da]in darasin. Saboda a koyaushe malami ya kan ]auka cewa, abin da ya fa]a kamar maganar Allah ne, ]alibi kuma dole ya yi biyayya ga abin da malam ya fa]a tun da kamar wahayi ne babbar bu}atar malami dai, inji Freire, shi ne ya cika ]alibin da wa]nnan “tsubararar” ko kuma shaci-fa]i, ko da gaskiya ne ko kure ne. Abu guda dai shi ne, a koyaushe maganganun sukan kasance ba abin da ]alibi ya sansu ba ne, ko kuma suke da dangantaka da shi. Saboda haka ]alibi yana saurare ne a matsayin wahayi kawai, domin mafiya yawa ma ba sukan kasance sun shafi rayuwar al’ummar ]alibin ba ne. Muhimmanci da aka sawa gaba a irin wannan hanya shi ne a san kalmomin koyaushe ba wai amfaninsu ba. Misali, idan an ce “hu]u sau hu]u, wato, sha shida” ke nan, “hedikwatar jihar Kwara, Ilorin” ce. Abin da ake bu}ata a nan shi ne ]alibi ya ri}e wannan, ya kuma haddace, tare da yawaita maimaitawa, nawa ne hu]u sau hu]u? [alibi har abada ba za a nemi ya san me ya sa, hu]u sau hu]u ya zama sha shida ba, ko kuma mene ne muhimmancin IIIorin a Jihar Kwara ba. A irin wannan tsari malami sai ya zama kamar mai awo, ]alibi kuma ya zama kamar buhu da ake zuba kayan awon. Saboda haka gwargwadon nagartar malami wajen cika buhun cikin hanzari da tsafta gwargwadon gwanintarsa. Haka nan gwargwadon jure ri}e wannan abin da aka zuba wa ]alibi a matsayin buhu, gwargwadon }wazo da kyawun hazi}ancin ]alibin. Wato, a takaice dai, makarantar ta zama ta neman takardar shaidar halartar makaranatar hadda, ba ta neman ilimi ba. Ta haka aka mayar da ilimi ya zama abin ajiya, wanda malami shi ne mai ajiyewa, ]alibi kuwa mai Tarawa; ya ajiye kafin a nema. Wato, maimakon hul]a, sai malami ya zama mai bada ajiya bisa umurni domin ]alibi ya ajiye ba tare da sanin mene ne yake ajiyewa ba. Wannan shi ne abin da Freire ya kira, ‘Tsarin Ilimin Ajiyar Banki” Ko kuma :Adashi: wato, kamar dai a kai” ku]i a ajiye a banki, ranar ]auka a dauko abin da aka ajiye, malami shi ne mai ajiya, ]alibi kuwa mai ajiyewa. A }arshen Magana dai mutum ya zama kawai, babu tunani, la’akari ko binciken irin ilmi da yake nema, saboda wannan ru]a]]iyar hanyar bada karatu. In da ba domin samun iya karatu da rubutu ba, da sai a ce wannan tsari shirme ne, domin mutum ba zai zama cikakken mutum ba. Ilimi na . sahihi shi ne wanda ake samun sa ta la’akari da }ago sabuwar hanya ta jiya ta yau da kullum, tare da binciken ]alilin da abubuwa suka zama yadda suke da matsayinsu a duniyar ]an Adam. Haka da kuma sanin matsayinsu a cikin al’umma ta yadda ilimi zai hu]u, ko kuma ba da hasken warware matsalolin rayuwar al’umma tare da duniyarsu. A gurgun tsarin bada ilimi, a kan ]auki ilimi ne a matsayin wani abu wanda a kan mayar ya zama kamar samun sa wata alfarma ee, ko kuma baiwa ce ga wa]anda suke da ita, a kan wa]anda ake ganin ba su da ita, wato, jahilai da ba su san kome ba. Saboda haka ne malami yakan nuna wa ]alibai cewa, shi daban yake da su tun da ya sani, su kuwa ba su sani, ba, wanda ta haka ne yake ~a~~atar da zamantowarsa daban da su. Su kuma ]alibai sukan yarda su jahilai ne, domin haka ya zama masu dole su yarda da matsayin malami. [an bambancinsu da bayi, a wannan shimfidar shi ne su ba su lura cewa su ma suna koyar da malami ba ne bawa kuwa ya san yana wa “ubangijinsa” bauta ne, domin haka bambanein a fili yake. A gaskiyar magana, malami shi ma mai koyo ne daga almajiransa in “har tsarin na” bisa kan neman sahihin ilimi ne domin ei gaban rayuwar al’umma. Ilimi na fitar da kai daga }angin danniya a jahilci yakan dogara ne a kan matsayin daidaita, ko kuma sulhuntawa. Ilimi dole ne ya kasanee ya warware rashin fahimta da ke tsakanin malami da ]alibi, ta kawar da ginshi}in da ya raba su, domin su kasance dukkansu, su zama malamai kuma ]alibai. Irin wannan fahimta ba za a ta~a samun ta ba, ta tsarin ilimin adashi. Saboda shi a kullum ya kan }arfafa wannan sa~ani ne kuma ya da]a kyautata shi. Ta irin wa]annan hanyoyin koyarwa azzalumai suka fitar da danniya a fili ~aro-~aro. Domin ita irin wannan hanya takan kasance kullum tana nunawa ne cewa, shi ]an-Adam wani abu ne da ana iya daidaita shi da kiwon sa, ta yadda za a juya shi ta yadda ake so. Domin haka gwargwardon }wazon ]alibai na zama “salka,” marasa huji kuma masu ajiye abin da aka zuba a cikinsu, gwargwadon na}asar tunaninsu ta fuskar }ago abubuwa wa]anda ke iya sa duniyarsu ta dace da bu}atuwar rayuwarsu. A sakamakon haka sai su kasance masu kar~ar abin da duk ya samu, kuma su ]auka “kowa iya ta aura baba”. Wato dai sun yarda cewa, dole ne su gyara kansu, su zama masu biyayyar duniyarsu ta yadda suka gan ta, ba ta yadda suke son su gan ta ba. Irin wannan hanyar bada ilimi sukurkutacciya ce a Kullum takan kawo koma baya ga ]alibai ta fuskar zama cikakkun mutane masu haza}ar tunani, ko bayan sun gama makarantar a kan wai sun sauke karatunnasu. Daga Dokta Mohammed Jumare No. 141 Kwarbai Quarters Zaria city |
Ignorance or Crippled Knowledge Freire spoke the truth when he said, “There is no world except the one that people inhabit, and so there is no existence in it except the one that people make in their world. Man must confront any fear or ambition in life by learning how to judge life in his world by using his knowledge, that is, a real knowledge which is brighter than the sun, to clear away supposition and uncertainty, and after lighting the path that he would follow, taking it.” God himself, in His blessed revelation to the Holy Prophet, posed the question this way, “You say, ‘Are those who know the equal of those who do not know?’ It is only sensible people who think.” This clearly demonstrates that people are forced into ignorance, or given superstitious knowledge. But it is not man’s inhumanity toward man, or even sacrilege toward God, that prevents people from seeking true knowledge. Methods of getting an education, if there are any, in communities that live under terrible oppression, tend to be different from those in other communities that do not suffer from such miserable ignorance. If you examine the educational system, either inside or outside the schools, you see that learning takes the form of rote learning. It is always the teacher who does the talking, and it is only because of him that skills are gained, because he is the expert. As for the student in this system, he is required to remain silent and listen intently to the teacher in order to comprehend what is being said. These conditions and behaviors carry across every subject, whether it is math, history, geography, or current events. Accordingly, neither the teacher, who does all of the talking, nor the student, who does all of the listening, enjoys the lesson. Because when the teacher sees what he says as the word of God, with the student required to obey what the teacher says like a revelation, the teacher’s main goal, according to Freire, is to fill the student with these ideas, whether they are true or not. One issue is that these lessons often turn out to be incomprehensible to the student or unrelated to his life. Because of this, the student hears them only as an alien vision, since most of them don’t happen to concern life in the student’s community. The primary characteristic of this kind of method is that people understand the words but often do not understand their significance. For example, when someone says, “four times four is sixteen” or “the capital of Kwara State is Ilorin,” what is required here is that the student take and memorize this lesson, and repeat it again and again. How much is four times four? The student will never seek to know why it is that four times four equals sixteen or realize what Ilorin’s true importance is to Kwara State. In this kind of system, the teacher is nothing more than a scale, while the student is like a sack into which one pours things to be weighed. In this manner, the faster and more neatly the teacher fills the bag, the greater his expertise. Likewise, the better the student holds whatever is poured into him as if he were a sack, the greater the student’s hard work and intelligence. In short, the school becomes a method of obtaining certification for having attended a program of memorization, not of obtaining knowledge. Education thus becomes an act of depositing, whereby the teacher is the depositor and the student is the container; he files things away before finding out their true meaning. That is, instead of communicating, the teacher makes instructional deposits that the student stores away without knowing what he is storing away. This is what Freire called “the banking concept of education” or a “collection pool,” similar to depositing money in a bank, then withdrawing the deposit on the day of withdrawal: the teacher is the depositor and the student is the deposit box. In the last analysis, given this misguided method of education, the person is passive, with no thoughts, considerations, or investigation of the kind of knowledge he is seeking. If it weren’t for learning how to read and write, you could say that this system is useless, because a person will not become fully human. True knowledge occurs by reinventing the everyday methods of the past and investigating the reason why things are the way they are and their place in man’s world. And it is also by understanding their place in the community that students’ knowledge will expand and reveal the solutions to the everyday problems in their community as well as their world. In this crippling system of education, knowledge is regarded as something to be transferred, like a favor or gift bestowed by those who have it on those who are deemed not to have it, that is, ignorant people who don’t know anything. Thus, the teacher presents himself to his students as separate from them, since he is knowledgeable and they are not, and he thereby justifies his existence as separate from theirs. And the students accept that they are ignorant and are therefore required to accept the teacher’s position. There is some difference between them and slaves, for in this arrangement they do not realize that they are also teaching the teacher, while the slave knows that he is enslaved to his “master,” and so the difference is clear. The truth of the matter is that the teacher also learns from his pupils even when “the system” is based on seeking real knowledge for advancing the common good of the community. Education to free oneself from the grip of oppression in [sic] ignorance depends on a situation of reform or peace. Education must begin by solving the teacher-student contradiction, by removing the poles that separate them so that both are simultaneously teachers and students. This kind of understanding will never be found in the banking concept of education, which always reinforces and enhances the contradiction. In this educational method, the oppressors openly reveal their oppression, for this type of method regards people as adaptable, manageable beings, such that they may be manipulated as desired. Thus, the more that students’ intelligence becomes like an impenetrable goat-skin bag for storing what is poured into them, the less their compromised thinking displays the courage that could make their world be appropriate to the needs of their existence. The result is that they become receptacles for whatever happens and assume a passive attitude, accepting, as the saying goes, that “whoever marries my mother is my father.” They accept that they must adapt themselves and be faithful to their world as they see it, not as they wish to see it. This kind of teaching method is lifeless, and it always causes small-mindedness in students, as opposed to making them whole people with gifted thinking. As a result, after they finish this method of thinking, students [erroneously] consider their studies complete.
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Glossary
| Hausa | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| dan Adam | (lit: son of Adam) human being |
| ilimin surkulle | irrelevant education, superstitious knowledge |
| saɓo | to commit sin |
| daular duniya | the world, the universe |
| na sigar | in the form of |
| karatun aku | the teacher talks while the student only listens |
| hudu sau hudu | four times four |
| hedikwata | capital, headquarters (from English) |
| awo | to measure, to weigh |
| buhu | a sack, usually of grain, rice, or food |
| yau da kullum | everyday activities |
| tsubararar/ shaci-faɗi | spells or formulas, a number of ideas |
| Ilorin | the capital of Kwara |
| sahihin ilimi | true knowledge, efficient education |
| kowa iya ta aura baba ne | (lit: whoever my mother marries is my father) expression used by someone with limited options to choose from or a neutral opinion on a subject |
| salka | a goat-skin bag |
| huji | to penetrate |
| azzalumai | oppressors |
Notes
1. Education in Hausa Society
Education in Hausa society is often synonymous with Islamic or Koranic learning, in which students are expected to recite the Holy Koran within a defined period of time. In both Western and Koranic schools, students believe that elders, including their teachers, possess all knowledge, and, therefore, they never question them or put forth their opinions in class. They believe an elder is always wise, and thus, most people would only learn what they are taught without either understanding details or background information about the topic in question or asking more questions. This is especially true in religious education, where learners are expected to accept the teachings of the holy book and never question it to avoid sin or going against the laws of God.
2. Paulo Freire
Brazilian educator Paulo Freire (September 19, 1921-May 2, 1997) is well known for his theories of education. His point of view resulted from his personal experience of poverty. He studied law and the psychology of language. One of Freire's most famous theories is the "banking" concept of education.