By Adesina Wahab

A professor in the Department of Language, Arts and Social Science Education, Lagos State University, LASU,  Roseline Adejare, has said poor mastery of English Language by teachers is a countributory factor to the poor standards of education in the country.

Prof. Adejare opined that since English is the language of instruction in our schools, the ability to teach well is hindered when the teacher is deficient in the language.

She opined that every 16 minutes, a teacher in a typical classroom commits not just grammatical errors but verb group-related errors, while teaching.

Adejare a professor of English Grammar and Applied English Linguistics, made the submission while delivering the 107th Inaugural Lecture at the Ojo Campus of the institution, titled: ‘‘Is, Was, Choose One: Exploration into the World of the English Verb and Other Aspects of English Grammar”.

She explained that the verb group-related errors involve mistakes with verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and the use of auxiliary verbs.

She said: “The standard is getting lower, and there is a reason for it. We do not teach grammar any longer, and there are no qualified people to teach grammar because nobody studies grammar.

“In the study that I have conducted, I tried to establish a link between teachers’ competence in the language of instruction and standard of education.”

According to the professor, verb is central to the clause and central to meaning realisation.

“If you don’t know the verb, you don’t know the language. Teachers are not adequate, those teaching them in the university, when they go for research, they go and do social and discourse analysis.

“They leave grammar out because they think it is difficult, and when you don’t know the grammar of a language, you don’t know that grammar in that language.”

She called for a review of English Language programmes in tertiary institutions to embrace more descriptive grammar courses aimed at better equipping teachers for their jobs.

“It is important that linguists begin to focus on grammatical research because grammar is fundamental to language. Since acquisition of adequate grammatical knowledge is a condition for effective communication, the Bachelor of Arts English programme should be reviewed. This is to embrace more descriptive grammar courses,” Adejare said.

She also urged that departments of English Language with excellent grammar programmes should train competent personnel to handle them.

“These will ensure that English Language teachers are better equipped, English curriculum planners are adequately exposed, and the English course book, which teachers and pupils so heavily rely on, are free of fundamental errors,” she said.

She defined language as a human vocal noise used systematically and conventionally by a community for the purpose of communication.

Adejare noted that the use of English Language in Nigeria was fraught with difficulties and urged that Language Acquisition and Development should be made compulsory.

“The requirement that doctoral students mandatorily register and pass eight units of courses in the cognate department to upgrade their knowledge of the language is unquestionable.

“However, English Education students routinely avoid grammar and phonology because of their perceived difficulty; consequently, they end up ill-equipped. This should be addressed,” she said.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, commended Adejare for her diligent services to the university for close to four decades.

She also wished the soon to be retired professor success in her endeavours.