Central Bank of Somalia Training Institute

Central Bank of Somalia Training Institute

English Course

August- December 2018 Progress Report

1. Background

Second only to Mandarin, English with an approximated 1.2 billion speakers is one of the most popular languages in the world as at now. This translates to a rough estimate ratio of one to every seven people in the world who are able to comprehend some words of the language or have full knowledge of it which boldly translates into the importance of the language in the world. Besides its popularity, English language stands a proven diversification test as it is used in different fields ranging from learning purposes for students to commerce use for traders which implies that to a greater extent English language is key to the development of the education, tourism, technology, science, business, politics, culture, accounts and social networks, just to mention a few.

Many scholars such as Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, however, argue that English is the international language of business. Why? In support of their argument, these scholars believe that when companies expand and take the decision of going global, the first priority is to break the communicative barriers between their prospective employees and customers. In the event of such a decision some of the world leading business brands has chosen English over Mandarin, despite the fact that it is the most spoken in the world. Some of these brands that have chosen English over Mandarin are set in territories of languages that are of near linguistic might as English but they still chose it because it appeals to all and is acclaimed by a good number over the widely used languages in such places. For example Air-bus which is headquartered in France (French is the national language remember) adopts English over French, Fast Retailing which chose English over Japanese too, Samsung too opted for English instead of Korean yet it is headquartered in Seoul while not forgetting SAP in Germany.

Additionally, a worldwide study revealed that at least 25 percent of jobs around the world require employees to be in constant interaction with people from other countries. Further

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there more than two-third jobs in the Middle East which English is a pre-requisite before being offered employment.

As such, to communicate relevance in each of the sectors it is used, English language exhibits simplicity and adaptability in use. For native users of the language, this characteristic comes innately as they are endowed with inbuilt systems of the language which allows them to be able to use the language interchangeably to fit the occasion and purpose of use. However, most users of English as a Second Language (ESL) have to go through training sessions to learn the syntactic and semantic constructions of the language. Through this, the ESL learners are not only taught the vocabularies of the new language but also learn to use English words depending on the context with which the language appears.

In consideration of the restructuring of various sectors in Somalia after going through years of instability, there is need to promote and encourage soft skills amongst the working class and the general public at large. Doing so begins from learning basic English skills which would empower them to continue the spread of the ideology across the nation. Some of these people include bank employees.

1.1 Introduction

The Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) as the leading vendor and controller of all that happens in the economic sphere of Somalia has in the past establishes a training college to impart the necessary work skills to her employees to make them at par with the requirements of the job. However, due to some constraints the college’s operations went a little low only to be re-established in the year 2018. Purposely, the Central Bank of Somalia Training Institute was brought back to offer professional skills in English and Computer Literacy to her staff. This decision was arrived to due to the varying levels of comprehension of English amongst the staff which would, in a foreseeable future, act as a barrier in the successful dispensation of the mandate entrusted to the state body.

CBSTI aims to help the employees to have adequate knowledge knowledge and comprehension of English as a language by introducing them to language classes based on their capabilities. Ultimately, they would be able to undertake professional English tests such as IELTS and/or

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TOEFL after going through sufficient training and practice. The language classes would be based on the difference in comprehension levels amongst the staff, based on an initial exam administered to all the employees, while also factoring in the individual staff requirements for the said purpose. Ideally, the course would also consider the time constraints given that members of staff will have to incorporate their classes with their normal work activities at the bank.

2.0 COMMENCEMENT

CBSTI officially began offering the ESL classes for the CBS employees as of late August 2018, after every requirement that was necessary for the start and sustenance of the project was laid out. Some of these requirements could not all be available as at the time of commencement but due to the urgency of the issue, the stakeholders gave the clean bill of health for the start of the process.

2.1 Model of Operation

The project is structured to have the director as the overall supervisor of the project with a Language Instructor as the lead player in the process. He is responsible for organizing the staff into the appropriate levels of study, plan and attend to lessons in each of the classes and monitor the lesson attendance. Additionally, he is also supposed to administer appropriate evaluation tests on the staff from time to time, provide an assessment record of the general staff performance over stipulated timelines and recommend for any changes that the project should undertake to ensure it meets the stated objectives.

Since the project is scheduled to go on concurrently with the working hours, it is not possible to have all the staff attend to lessons at the same time. As a result, the project was designed to have staff go into the language class in two different shifts, the morning and afternoon sessions, each lasting for two hours. These sessions would be allocated to two different level of staff; the Elementary/Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate levels.

An initial test for ESL speakers was administered on all the staff to determine their entry behavior, or their level. The test includes the five skills in English which are Writing, Listening,

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Reading, Speaking and Comprehension. Open ended and subjective questions which give each learner an opportunity to express themselves were used in the evaluation. Further, the grammar part was more objective as it tested the actual extent to which the staff did comprehend the English grammar.

Thereafter, the instructor graded the staff using a similar grading scale in which a point was awarded for every correct grammar score and a modified scoring scale for writing and speaking sessions employed. The scoring scale requires scores in bands of between 0 and 50 points. Most placement tests were out of 50, especially if the test considered only grammar questions. Other sections in writing, listening and speaking were added to the grammar scored the averaged to the standard scale of a maximum 50 points as shown below;

Placement Test Results

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3.0 Evaluation of the staff

The placement test was taken by 48 members of staff. Out of those, 27% (13 students) scored between 5 and 20 points and were placed in the elementary class. 47% (23 of the students) scored between 15 and 23 points and were placed in the Pre-Intermediate category, while the remaining 25% (12 students) scored between 25 and 30 points and were placed in the Intermediate class.

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In the elementary and pre-intermediate levels, learners had different levels of entry behavior, from minimal to moderate. A few students in the elementary class had limited exposure to the language skills in their previous encounters and they would need an introductory approach. However, they all showed the right motivation and readiness for the course.

4.0 Class Schedule

Three (3) classes of ESL were scheduled to take place each week. According to the assessment done by the instructor, the staff has been divided into two broad groups, one consisting of elementary & pre-intermediate while the other will consist of staff in intermediate levels.

The staff was further divided into three classes depending on their availability to attend the classes.

Class A and B are Elementary & Pre-Intermediate

Class C is Intermediate.

Class A​will have lessons on ​Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 8.30 Am To 10.30 Am.

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Class C​will have lessons on ​Saturday, Sunday, Monday 3.00 Pm To 5.00 Pm.

Class B​will have lessons on ​Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 3.00 Pm To 5.00 Pm.

While the staff had been categorized into classes depending on their entry behavior and availability, it was not possible to correctly match the two parameters, such that it was possible to have a pre-intermediate staff that may not be able to join the morning class, and therefore would need to attend the afternoon intermediate class.

As seen from the scoring table above, the there’s a relationship in the competencies of elementary and pre-intermediate; and with pre-intermediate and intermediate. For this reason, it is possible for a pre-elementary level student to study in an elementary level class provided that the instructor will give more assistance during and after class.

5.0 FEEDBACK

5.1 Class Attendance

At the beginning, the class attendance was good averaging at least 80% of the enrolled number in the elementary and the pre-intermediate for the first month, September. The intermediate class took off in October though. However, after the first month for both classes, the attendance started to dip slowly in the pre intermediate and intermediate classes while the

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elementary class continues to have a steady number of staff attending their lessons. This trend has been more worrying with the afternoon classes which has a steady decrease in the number of staff who attend the classes.

This steady decline could be linked with the tire that comes from the staff attending the responsibilities assigned to them which makes it impossible for some of them not to turn up for the classes. In some cases it was worse, as some staff have not attended any class after the placement test. Additionally other staff also reported to be on official commitments hence failure to turn up for the lessons. It was encouraging, however, to see some of the staff who missed the regular class sessions seek remedial sessions to cover up for what was missed.

5.2 Syllabus Coverage

Over the first quarter, the scope of syllabus coverage has been quite impressive. All the classes have tackled almost all the recommended skills. However, there were times when content covered had to be repeated or revised due to low turnout especially in afternoon class C.

Each of the classes have so far covered the following topics:

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5.2 Progress Tests (CATs)

Progress tests are relatively quick and easy formative evaluation methods that help check if the staff understands in “real time”. These formative evaluations provide information that can be used to modify/improve course content, adjust teaching methods, and, ultimately improve student learning. Formative evaluations are most effective when they are done frequently and the information is used to effect immediate adjustments in the day-to-day operations of the course.

When progress tests are used frequently, they help the instructor to:

1. Provide day-to-day feedback that can be applied immediately.

1. Provide useful information about what students have learned without the amount of time required for preparing tests, reading papers.

1. Address student misconceptions or lack of understanding in a timely way.

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1. Help to foster good working relationships with students and encourage them to understand that teaching and learning are on-going processes that require full participation.

For students, progress tests can:

1. Help develop self-assessment and learning management skills;

1. Reduce feelings of isolation, especially in large classes;

1. Increase understanding and ability to think critically about the course content;

1. Foster an attitude that values understanding and long-term retention;

1. Be used to show interest and support of their success in classroom.

Based on these reasons, the instructor administered CATs to the staff to test on what they had learnt. Even though most students never turned up for the CATs the few who did an impressive work as most of them posted an increment in the marks they scored in the placement exams as depicted in the charts below.

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5.3 ANALYSIS

From the charts above, it is evident that most of the staff either failed to turn up for the CAT 1 exams or were not attending classes hence the fewer number of students with both the level test and CAT 1 marks.

Nonetheless, from the statistics displayed it is enough to say that for the staff who have been consistent with the classes are showing great improvement in the comprehension of English Language. This interest should continue to be nurtured especially to the elementary and pre-intermediate classes to ensure that they gain full comprehension of the language.

The intermediate class too is not left behind in this.

6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

As CBS seeks to improve the comprehension of language among her staff, there is need to;

1. Improve the accountability of individual members of staff to ensure they attend and actively participate in class activities. While tangible progress has been made in the language skills of individuals, the number is small due to frequent cases of absenteeism and abandoning of class.

2. Provide more learning and teaching materials to complement the trainer’s resources. Ideally, the class needs a course book that is available to the students depending on their levels.

Report compiled by:

Report verified by:

John Karuru

Hussein Jimale

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____________________________________________________________________

For the management,

Central Bank of Somalia

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