Friday, 09 August 2013, 02:37
Written by NASHON KENNEDY in Mwanza
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UNITY in Diversity Foundation (UDF) a Non-GovernmentalOrganisation based in Mwanza has established an English learning programme that aims to empower journalists and other city residents to use the language effectively. UDF, which was registered on September 2004, also aims to unify, train and empower financially its beneficiaries, which include Mwanza Press Clubs (MPC).
The Director of English Club, Mr Dixon Kassuja says the idea of establishing the club was hatched way back in 2004. “A lot of people have succeeded in pursuing further studies and others got promoted at their work places while others run their businesses quite smoothly,” he says. MrKassuja said due to frequent use of English when teaching, learning becomes easy.
He said it was discouraging to see that hotel workers were hired from outside the country but now things have changed and locals are getting employment opportunities. “English club is the department of UDF operating in three regions namely, Mbeya, Dar es Salaam and Mwanza,” says MrKassuja.
He says about 100 trainees of different levels, have been registered, adding that students pay
20,000/- on a monthly basis. “When a person is improving also the fee decreases, because we don’t use so much energy in educating them, and we normally charge bright students 10,000/” he says, MrKassuja says a learner can also change their timetable according to their schedules without even informing the centre’s administration.
He said they sponsored Mwanza journalists, after discovering that there was a wide gap between English newspapers and the reader.
“Many readers cannot read and understand stories and features published in the newspapers,’’ he said, adding: “Whether it is verbal or oral the use of simple English should be encouraged, no one would like to read a newspaper using a dictionary,” he says and appealed to editors to understand this fact , as society depends on them for information and knowledge. Kassuja says through a strong relation built between his organisation and MPC, they have so far managed to register 25 journalists in Mwanza.
The centre shifted from Nyakahoja Roman Catholic Church to Clinic Street in Makongoro, in order to reach out to a wider community membership. It aims to establish English clubs in all secondary schools in Mwanza, to sensitize students on the importance of the language. According to him the clubs would look into daily communication, not text book reading only.
He added that apart from the establishment of English Clubs in schools, that would be another way of holding public debates that will bring together people who wish to speak English. With their motto “ English is the passport, today and tomorrow,” he says a lot of improvement has been recorded so far.
Mwanza Press Club Coordinator, Edwin Soko, says he is proud of the NGO’s initiative, adding that most of the journalists who joined the English course have shown their ability and confidence in both speaking and reading English. “We plan to write a proposal to the NGO with the aim of requesting them to train our journalists on monitoring and evaluation.
A journalist with the Citizen newspaper Annastazia Fred says she has made progress in the English course. “I have confidence in expressing myself. I have no fear at all when I address my fellow learners,’’ she says Baruti newspaper reporter MagrethKusekwa, says she speaks English with confidence. Ms Daniela Jumla, one of the learners at the centre, says she has mastered the language and her delighted husband bought her a brand new car.
“I am able to communicate in English. My husband who works for a foreign company used to bring home his colleagues who I could not communicate with. He was more than happy when he saw the change and bought me a nice present, ” she says.
Kassuja appealed to the government through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, to offer material support, as they are implementing the education policy .
“English is just like any other language. We welcome everyone to join us, regardless of their level of education.”, says Kassuja while thanking Bishop Steven Genga the councillor of English club, Dr. Engineer Canan (GSM co.) and Dr Longo the UDF Director – Tanzania for their contribution to strengthen the club.