Covid-hampered women make their mark

Desiree GasesThe paper presented at the prestigious conference titled ‘An effective tool for Oshindonga Early Development Education: Lilonga-Nenyanyu Learning Mobile Application’ is published by Caroline Mulundu (student), Victoria Hasheela-Mufeti (senior lecturer) and Maria Ntinda (lecturer) – all from the Department of Computing, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Namibia (Unam). The Android app, “Lilonga-Nenyanyu”, is designed to help children to better their knowledge in mathematics and Oshindonga. While the official language of Namibia is English, about 30 other languages are spoken in the country.A regular tourist would know how to speak English, being the universal language and all, but only a small percentage of the population use English as their language. As a means to enable Namibia's cultural groups to communicate with each other because the country has many indigenous tribes and consequently a wide variety of languages, most people and students use English on a day-to-day basis. The study focused on the Oshindonga language, as it is one of the predominant local languages used as a medium of instruction during the first three years of schooling in Namibian schools amongst the Oshiwambo people.The learning materials starting from kids’ playbooks, TV programmes and most of the existing children's educational applications are all in English and other western languages, resulting in our native languages being rarely spoken and used. The use of media to enhance teaching and learning complements traditional approaches to learning. Using media engages students, aids retention of knowledge, motivates interest in the subject matter and illustrates the relevance of many concepts. The use of technology in education and in the app promotes independence, as the children can learn at their own pace rather than that of the teachers’ or that of the child instructors’ instructions. This will encourage children to value independent study without a teacher’s direct influence. This way children learn better and faster in their native language, a language they can understand - in turn also preventing delays in learning.This study aimed to investigate and explore the development of learning on an app in a Namibian language. It’s is an Android app designed to help children complement their knowledge in mathematics and Oshindonga. The app will be providing children with the right tools enable them to learn with ease. Young children learn better in their native language, at their own pace, as children grasp knowledge differently, hence promoting independence. It is a multi-language-based app, which means advancements could be made to incorporate other native languages.Providing children with the right tools enables them to learn with ease. This study aimed to narrow the communication gap between illiterate parents and children with regards to educating them in Oshidonga. This was done in the context of concentrating on the Oshindonga language as barrier to learning amongst young children and to find new ways to implement new fun and educational learning methods. Hence, the need for the app. It intends to assist Oshindonga-speaking children improve their Oshindonga language skills through fun, interactive educational activities and songs. The study proved that using technology has the potential to enhance the learning experience.

Covid-hampered women make their mark

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Republikein 2025-06-19

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Covid-hampered women make their mark

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