In
today’s global environment, the decision to further an education abroad is a
bold step that reflects an individual’s desire to learn new ways of life,
experience different cultures and traditions, and contribute to the development
of cooperation and peace amongst people. The old notion that most Africans
travel simply to seek greener pastures and a better life elsewhere is a thing
of the past. Today educated Africans travel to the United Kingdom, Australia,
New Zealand, Canada and United States to further their education, and return to
develop new businesses and industries at home, using tools they have acquired
abroad to raise the living standards and providing employment for their fellow
country men, and empowering the youth to forge ahead toward their own
accomplishments.
Studying
abroad can be the first step in a truly virtuous cycle, but for many students
that first step presents a huge challenge. For any African attempting to study
abroad in a western country there are a myriad of requirements involving
income, status, and educational background. While many of these requirements,
though daunting, are fairly reasonable others prove to be completely
frustrating for students, stifling their dreams and forcing many to simply walk
away. One of the biggest examples of
this is the requirement to prove English proficiency through TOEFL or IELTS
testing. This single requirement can completely stifle the hopes of a student despite
any of their academic achievements, and completely end any plans for studying
abroad. Countries like Sweden, Norway and Finland are all moving towards the
provision of this requirement before admission, so it has become imperative for
the International community to finally recognize the reality of this situation,
and the impact of policies that promote this testing.
What are IELTS and TOEFL?
The
“IELTS” (International English Language Testing System) and “TOEFL” (Test of
English as a Foreign Language) are standardized tests used by universities to
assess the English language ability of applicants. IELTS is widely used in the
UK and Australia and also recognized by most American and Canadian
universities; IELTS assesses all of your English skills — reading, writing,
listening and speaking, and is designed to reflect how you will use English
while studying, at work, and at leisure in your life abroad. The TOEFL is used
mainly by American Universities, though also accepted in the UK and Australia.
This test not only serves as a requirement for admission to most Universities
abroad, but also as a requirement for the acquisition of a visa.
The
requirement of English proficiency testing should serve as a basic marker of
ones control over the English language, but in reality it has been used as a
“screening machine” to limit the number of Africans who study abroad. This fact
becomes clear once you examine the treatment of exemption policies certain
countries commonly offer:
You
will meet the requirement if you can show that you:
●
Are a national of a majority English-speaking
country; or
●
Have passed an English language test approved by
us at the appropriate level; or
●
Hold a degree that was taught in English and is
equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or above.
None of
the above exemptions are considered politely when an African requests
them. They are either told that they do
not form part of the category or that their level of English proficiency is not
accepted. In the research report by Glenys Merrifield, “It was also found that language proficiency
thresholds could be manipulated to limit numbers of immigrants and relieve
pressure on funding of community support organizations.
Reasons
To Abolish the TOEFL And IELTS Requirements In Africa (Nigeria And Ghana)
The mad
scramble for Africa by colonial powers three centuries ago led to the
imposition of culture and specifically language. Most countries in Africa
adopted the language of their colonial masters, replacing the traditional local
languages. Today, countries like Nigeria and Ghana use English as their
official language, while countries like Cote d’lvoire and Togo use French as
their official language. The British colonized Ghana and Nigeria and imposed
English upon the population by using English as the sole medium of instruction
in their educational systems. It is bizarre that the UK today requires its own
former colonies to prove their English proficiency level, were they such
inadequate instructors of the English language?
Education
in West Africa, particularly in Ghana and Nigeria is still done in English.
Instruction and daily duties and responsibilities are conducted using the
English language. English is the medium of instruction from the crรจche level to
the University level. Every student who
in one way or another gets the opportunity to sit in class has been taught some
level of English, thus most students have a basic level of English and are able
to communicate and write in the language. Those who are lucky enough to further
their education to the High School level, sit for the West African Examination
Certificate, which has a compulsory English language component of reading,
writing, and comprehension. Those who are fortunate to move on again to the
tertiary level are all given the opportunity to take the famous “Communication
Skills” examination. This examination facilitates the deepening of the writing,
speaking and listening abilities of most students, it is a potent, well-developed
program with a much broader and more comprehensive structure than the IELTS OR
TOEFL.
The
costs associated with IELTS AND TOEFL constitute another layer of issues. These
tests are extremely expensive, to a degree, which is completely untenable for
all but the wealthiest in Africa, and frequently the western organizations
behind these tests formulate corrupt schemes that bilk poor or uninformed
students out of their money. Due to the imposition of these requirements by
various emigration authorities and universities, many organizations have
developed various ways to dupe the poor student who has little or no knowledge
about the processes, claiming that additional testing is required or that
mysterious fees need to be paid. Although most advanced countries like to refer
to Africa as a place of poverty and hardship, they tend not to care much about
the various ways they are contributing in making the situation worse.
What
are the costs?
The
cost incurred in sitting for one test in Africa is far greater than the minimum
wage of most Africans. Most people who are able to afford this cost are mostly
those from affluent homes. What happens to the poor kid at Teshie in Ghana or
Oyo Town in Nigeria who is brilliant but financially needy and aspires to
travel abroad to further his/her education? The cost of IELT as published by British Council in Nigeria
and Ghana shows
an amount that is very difficult to get by most students. Although research
shows that, almost half of the population in the sub-Saharan Africa lives on
less than $1.25
a day there is still pressure forcing many graduates and undergraduates to push
the little they have into the pockets of organizations that are providing
something they have already acquired.
Consider
also the principle of Reciprocity: It is not only Africans who travels abroad
to study, other countries too do travel to Africa to study, and the question
is, are they asked to provide a language proficiency? Since our English
language prowess is not accepted internationally even though a simple Wikipedia
search shows our official language to be English, should we reciprocate by
requiring international students coming to Africa to provide proof of language
proficiency in Yoruba, TWI or GA?
In a
global environment in which the mass movement of people across borders is increasing,
immigration authorities need to be increasingly proactive in setting standards
that are fair and equitable, but preserve standards of living and work. The use
of IELTS or TOEFL is restricting the number of brilliant Africans who wish to
study abroad, not because they fail the test, but rather because the system is
an abomination. The cavalier attitude taken by western countries while
disregarding our educational system is symptomatic of the ugly prejudices left
behind by the colonial era. Today Africa is a land of many fluent English
speakers and writers, and that’s something the whole world should be aware of. If
language is used as a tool of controlling immigration, it provides the platform
for countries to use various methods and grounds to prevent the free movement
of people. Culture is a way of life, and socialization is the process of
acquiring new ideas and experiencing culture and it must be allowed to occur
freely and naturally, without force or undue discrimination.
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