PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF TEACHING ARABIC

POETRY IN NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS~

BEING A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE

NATAIS WORKSHOP HELD AT KWARA

STATE COLLEGE OF ARABIC AND ISLAMIC

LEGAL STUDIES ILORIN, 28TH-30TH

OCT. 1998.

ByDr. M. A. BIOMOS.

Dept. Of Curriculum Studies,

University of Lagos,

Akoka, Yaba.

PROBLEkIS AND PROSPECTS OF TEACHING ARABIC

POETRYINNIGERIANSECONDARYSCHOOL£

...Introduction.

Arabic poetry is a reservoir of data on the culture and custom of the Arabs; a reservoir

rich enough to unravel the secrets of their rise and tribulations. It also represents the peak of their

literacy skill, proficiency and prowess. Arabic poetry serves as the appropriate aid to acquaint a

student with the taste of the Arabic Language while arousing his interest in its learning. It is an

embodiment of wisdom as indicated in one of the prophetic traditions. This explains the

importance of teaching poetry. But to realize the above stated potentials, the teaching of poetry

must be effectively handled. However, it should be noted that the effective teaching of poetry is

possible only in a conducive learning environment. Therefore, this paper is an examination of the

learning environment in which the teaching of poetry takes place i.e., Nigerian Secondary

Schools. How conducive is that learning environment? Are there any constraints? How can such

constraints be addressed with a view to realizing the potentials of Arabic poetry? Seeking relevant

answers to these and related questions constitutes the focus of this paper.

CONDuaVEEN~RONMENLConduciveness ofleaming environment within the context of this paper means

identification and removal of constraints to the learning processes, and putting in place the right

apparatus. These two segments of the conducive learning environment are obviously interwoven

since the removal of the constraints, as it will be demonstrated presently, will culminate in the

emergence of the right apparatus and subsequently giving birth to the conducive learning

environment.

THE CONSTRAINTS

(a) Syllabus

The first constraint - we are not saying the major one for it is not easy categorizing the

constraints into minor and major; if we can provide a vivid description of the constraints the

reader is at liberty to do the categorization - is the syllabus. Poetry is an integral part of Arabic

Literature. Traditionally, language be it Arabic or English is treated separately from literature and

that maxim is underscored in the way English is treated in the West Af~ican Examinations

Council (WAEC) - syllabus; pages 182 and 340 of the WABC syllabus '.1998-2000 refer. So, the

syllabus constraint posed to the teaching of Arabic poetry is three-fold.

First, Arabic literature is lumped with the Arabic language. The implications of this

arrangement for the teaching of poetry are stated below under the discussion of time-tabling in the

school. Secondly, while there is an NERDC Arabic curriculum for Junior Secondary School (JSS)

there is none at the Senior Secondary School level. In the circumstance, the teachers of Arabic at

the SSS level were compelled to depend mainly on the WABC syllabus which is an examination

syllabus distinct in the content and structure from the teaching curriculum of the NERDC.

Subsequently, the Arabic teachers miss vital information and a host of instructional advantages

contained in the NERDC curriculum such as behavioral objectives, content, teaching methods,

teaching aids and evaluation. The benefit of this arrangement to the Arabic teachers both trained

and untrained is inestimable.

-.

Thirdly, through an oral interview, it has been discovered that the details of Arabic

prescribed in the WAEC syllabus appear to both the instructors and learners of Arabic a mission

impossible. For the purpose of illustration we cite the following topics from the syllabus:

• Transitive and intransitive verbs, the five verbs and conjugation of verbs.

• Flexible and inflexible verbs.

• The verbal noun, the active passive participle, the elative special and adjective forms.

• Poetry and Prose in the pre-Islamic era.

• Brief history of the Pre-Islamic Arabic literature and the purpose of poetry.

• Imru'l Qays and his description (10 verses).

• Jarir and his satire.

2

• Tazyinul Waraqat of Abdullah b. Fodio. etc.

A critical look at the array of topics displayed above presents a typical university standard

which both the learners and instructors in secondary schools will find intimidating and frustrating.

The joy and flavour associated with the teaching/learning of poetry will be lost since the attention

will be devoted entirely to the coping strategies. The learner will be pre-occupied with the effort

of how to memorize and retain the prescribed texts which he finds too cumbersome. Furthermore,

a simple analysis of both syllabus, i.e., the WAEC and the NERDC shows lack of coordination,

progression and continuation between the two of them. It seems each has an objective distinct

from the other. For instance, while the NERDC curriculum is characterized by simplicity,

familiarity and class-room activity that ofW AEC (for SS) is characterized by remoteness,

archaism and cumbersomeness of verses. All the class-activity and simplicity that the student is

exposed to in the JSS are missing in the SSS.

One more observation which is not related to the teaching and learning of poetry but very

important should be made at this juncture. This has to do with the production of the WAEC

Arabic syllabus. The secretarial personnel responsible for the publication of the syllabus displayed

unprofessional attitude towards production of the Arabic syllabus. The hand-written texts on

pages 60-65 of the WAEC syUabus 1998-2000 edition reads awkward and very unbefitting in a

document of international circulation such as this. In Lagos and llorin, there are facilities to

package nicely any Arabic material through word processor or typewriter. (See the appendix).

(b) Text Books.

~ , ...,.~~ Fm--., . t» 1\;;; ,,; ~t, )•• '. ~~\ '-. ~'I i.e ..

. " •. Ol •

As expected, the cumbersomeness of the syllabus is extended to the prescribed text books.

The 24 text books listed in the syllabus are designated as follows:

1. prescribed (4) ,

2. Supplementary (13) and recommended (7)

The hardship posed by the books include the following:

1. About 2/3 of the books are by foreign authors such as AI-Mufassal by Ahmad al-

Khandari and Tarikhul-Adabil' Arabi by Shawqi Dayf.

3

2. Scenes and experiences and even personalities described in the books are alien to the

young Nigerian learners.

3. The standard of description, discussion and analysis in the books are beyond

comprehension of the young Nigerian learners. It is for students of tertiary institutions.

4. The standard of expression coupled with the choice of diction is too high for a Secondary

School student learning Arabic in an English-speaking environment such as Nigeria. This

is the same standard set for the Arab students learning Arabic in an Arabic speaking

environment such as Egypt or Kuwait.

5. The costs of the foreign books are prohibitive since the books will be imported through

foreign exchange.

6. Some of the books read obsolete such as Al-Arabiyyatul-Hadithah published in 1982 by

Higab. The book still reflects Nigeria as a 19 states nation (Bk.2 p.83) at a time when

Nigeria is operating 36 states. Such a book as this is over due for review.

( c ) School Time-Table.

As already indicated above on page 2, lumping Arabic Language and Arabic Literature

together has an implication for time-tabling. In Secondary Schools, there is no magic a teacher

can perform to teach poetry properly within the time allocation of 2 single periods a week for

Arabic in all its ramifications which include grammar, composition, comprehension, dictation,

literature, prose, poetry, prosody, etc. To appreciate the magnitude of time constraint facing the

teacher/learner of Arabic we should consider the 3 double periods allocated to English per week

and 3 single periods allocated to Literature in English per week as against 2 single periods per

week allocated to Arabic in all its ramifications.

Apart from the advantage of 9 periods per week, the English students have the added

advantage of environmental influence. For instance, all other subjects such as Biology, Maths,

History, Social Studies, Music etc. are taught in English thereby making it possible for the EnglishccV'\t,...-<!\.~\c

students to improve their English indirectly through other subjects. In contracts, the Arabic

student has contact with Arabic only when he is in the Arabic class.

4

(d) Teachers.

It is well known that the quality of education cannot rise above the quality of teachers.

The truism is applicable to the teaching of poetry. In other words" to teach poetry properly we

must have enough teachers in the right quality and quantity. Between 1987 and 1997 Lagos State

University (LASU) produced 41 Arabic graduates. Within the same period the University of

Ibadan (U.I) produced 73. Out of this figure~ 14)none has qualification in Education. This means

that though they are graduates of Arabic, they are not trained and so they lack professional

qualification to teach Arabic.

Lack of professional qualification apart, 114 graduates of Arabic will be grossly

inadequate to cope with the teaching of Arabic in Oyo, Ogun and Lagos States with 904

Secondary Schools. (source of the figure: National Population Bureau Statistics Section). Take

for granted that not all the 904 schools will be offering Arabic but at least not less than 300 will

be offering Arabic which is still impossible for 114 teachers to cover. The example of inadequacy

of Arabic teachers given here can be true of other states of the federation.

Taste and proficiency in Arabic are part of the basic requirements of an Arabic teacher. In

the sixties up to early eighties there was a - year - abroad - programme for the Arabic majors in

the tertiary institutions to visit an Arabic-speaking University in any Arab country with a view to

familiarizing the students with the native speakers of the language thereby giving them the

advantage of taste and proficiency. The programme was discontinued for what the Federal

Government called "cost effect". They put in place an alternative outfit in the Arabic village sited

in Maiduguri where the Arabic majors are required to spend a year to polish their language and to

gain taste and proficiency. But there is no indication that the Arabic majors in LASU and U.I

make use of the facilities in the village. A teacher of Arabic who lacks taste and proficiency will

depend on memorized texts and will certainly be incapable of stimulating his students enough in

the acquisition of Arabic. An effective teacher of Arabic is one who has a flare for the language,

and possesses taste and proficiency. He should be capable of monitoring the growth of the

language in terms of accommodating new ideas, inventions, fresh discoveries and modern political

and economic activities and expressions such as new economic order, communism, capitalism,

globalization, Islamization etc.

5

In view of the foregoing, conduciveness of the teaching/learning environment regarding

poetry means the following:

• provision of professionally qualified teachers;

• publication of an NERDC teaching curriculum;

• setting attainable objectives and standards;

• provision of suitable text books with emphasis on local content and flavour;

• constant review of such books to reflect current issues;

• persuasion of the school authorities to increase time allocation to the teaching of Arabic;

• provision of instructional materials;

• constant retraining of Arabic teachers.

(e) Teaching Methodology

Methodology is the pivot of teaching enterprise for it simply means professional co-

ordination of all available facilities for quality dissemination of knowledge. This is termed as

"teaching-learning process" by Adegoke K. A. (1998) which according to him must be made

active "through the use of a variety of enhanced learning strategies." The teaching of poetry

requires a special handling which begins with a careful selection of topics while being guided by

the principle of starting "from the known to the unknown." Such a principle as this has the unique

benefit of stimulating the leamer's interest and wetting his appetite as a poet says:

Translation

"He who compares what he never saw with what he sees;

That which is distant (from him) will be drawn nearer.;

Drawing inspiration from the above verse, we should start with topics taken from Nigerian

authors (poets) instead of the Jahiliyyab poems composed by authors such as Imrul Qays. For

instance, the NERDC curriculum makes provision for anasbid i.e. simple songs. Such songs

when carefully selected and properly taught can be exploited to pave way for a high standard

poetry. Let's consider the following:

6

Or

My friend, perform ablution And get up to observe Salat

And pray to God;

And He will be pleased ~i~h you. IJ ~ J ., \ \) _ ••J ~'. ~;;';),.) ~~ w5l\ ~~ -1 -....,.:.;..J~~~..>- ~\~\-'

Ilorin is the abode of intellectuals. They excel others in the science

of religion.

The former was composed by Ahmad Said a Nigerian Postgraduate student and the latter

by Sulayman Adebayo, also a Nigerian lecturer at Kwara Polytechnic.

The two selections are free of archaic words, they are rather composed of simple andj.J _ ..>

familiar words such as ".~., ~ ~;_, 0""; c :...;, ~~ c .•~; '-..i-:.~>JoJ ~ c 1..>..)'>:>\' ,~' , \ - •

The simplicity of the words coupled with the familiarity of the authors serves as a stimulant to

the learner not only to want to learn this by heart but also to ask for more .

. !\\ "N- "flJ"~" '~'" ~'-/ ,TEACHING STRATEGIES. J U...{~li.'J d< .. ::. ". e'~c :j -:1. Writing of the text on the chalkboard.

2. Model Reading of the text with the students paying attention.

3. Chanting of the text while showing its distinct melody for the enjoyment and appreciation

of the students.

4. Trial reading by the students.

5. Repeated corrections until the students master the reading.

6. Explanation of the meaning of the text.

7. The use of instructional materials where relevant and necessary.

It should be noted that melodious rendition plays a dual role in this dispensation: first, it

serves as a major characteristic that distinguishes poetry from prose. Other characteristics are

detailed in the law of prosody which governs the composition of poetry. Secondly, melodious

rendition as a teaching strategy is a potent facilitator and stimulant that naturally catches the

fancy of students. It makes them feel attracted to learning poetry by heart.

7

Facilitatorsof TeachingStrategies:Objectivesand Standard.

Teachers should not set unattainable objectives in the teaching of poetry in Senior

Secondary Schools. The same principle of simplicity and familiarity should be observed in

selecting texts to teach. At this level, there is need to take cognizance of two factors. First, the

entry point of the students should determine what they are fed with at this level. In other words

the standard expected at this level must flow out of the preceding standard. No attempt should be

made to set for students a task that is too remote from the preceding level. Secondly, and this is

particularly crucial: students at the SS level should not be treated like students offering Arabic in:

privately owned Arabic schools where Arabic is not only the medium of instruction but also is the

nucleus of all subjects taught therein. This is in the sense that all subjects in privately owned)

Arabic schools revolve on Arabic. Little wonder that due to the intensity of the Arabic studies

coupled with the quality of the human and material resources available, there are some products

of these schools who have competency in composing poetry. Setting a high standard such as what

is currently obtainable in the WAEC syllabus will be counterproductive for it is capable of getting

most of the prospective Arabic students scared and disinterested.

Facilitatorsof TeachingStrategies:the Syllabus Factor.

The starting point to deal with the phenomenon of standard is the syllabus. What is

expected of the Secondary School students should be maximum of one-third of the current

prescriptions in the WAEC syllabus. This means a substantial reduction of the contents of

grammar and literature. Moreover, whatever is recommended by the curriculum experts should be

packaged in the NERDC format. With those two steps, both teachers and learners will find the

subject interesting and attractive. Based on the principle of simplicity and familiarity, there should

be a vertical progression in the text selection that takes off with the materials of contemporary

West African authorship to the modern poetry and going up in that order. This is starting the

journey from the very bottom to the top of the ladder; from the known and simple to the unknown

and difficult.

For example the selection of the text runs as follows:

8

c.Verses of Abbasid era.

e.Verses of Islamic era. ~ .:. J 'I -

-.::-\5-~v'---.- ~~~~~~O't-'J) ~~.:JJ\~\&-~-'. .f.Verses of Jahiliyyah era.

9

CONCLUSIONIt has been established in this paper that the literary attraction of poetry is in jeopardy

when viewed in the present dispensation. But the situation can and should be remedied through

proper articulation of the constraints which hitherto thwart the teaching of Arabic poetry. Such

constraints include setting unattainable objectives, unrealistic standard, incoherency between the

JSS and SSS syllabi on Arabic, clumsiness of the syllabus, the text books, time allocation in the

Sec. Schools, quantity and quality of teachers and methodology. The paper therefore suggests

ways and means of tackling these constraints in such a way as to create a conducive learning

environment for the teaching of Arabic poetry. But the paper puts the responsibility of tackling

the constraints on the door steps of three parties namely: the West African Examination

Council (WABC), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council(NERDC)

and the Nigerian Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS). NATAIS

for obvious reasons should playa key role.

10

REFERENCES.

Adebayo Ahmad, S. (1998) As- Suturul- 'Atirah, Ilorin, Islamic Kewulere Ibrahim Press.

Adegoke, K. A. (1998) The Challenges of Quality Public Education In the 21st Century,

With particular Reference to Nigeria. Unpublished paper presented

as key- note address at the 1998 WORLD TEACHERS DAY

organized by the Nigeria Union of Teachers.

Arberry, A. J. (1965) Arabic Poetry: A primer for students. Cambridge, The University

Press.

Higab, M. A. (1982) Al-Arabiyyatul Hadithah for Nigeria and West Africa, Bk.2 Lagos.

Islamic Publications Bureau.

Junior Secondary School Arabic Syllabus. Zaria, Gaskiya Press. Nigeria Educational Research

and Development Council. Lagos.

National Population Commission Census '91 November 1994.

The West African Examinations Council, Regulations and Syllabus for the West African

Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) (1998-2000).

University of Jos Calendar 1980/81.

11

WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATEEXAMINATION

ARABICPREAMBLECandidates offering Arabic in the West African SeniorSchool Certificate Examination shouldhave attained appreciable standard in grammatical and conversational skills of the language.In addition. ability to read. understand and compose in standard Arabic is expected,Candidates should also be sufficiently informed in elementary Arabic Literature of differentperiods. including Arabic Literature of West African authorship. .

They should demonstrate a working lmowledge of Arabic and the ability either to further thestudy of the language at instibJtions of higher learning or for further self-improvement, •

There will be two written Papers. The rubrics of the test Paperswill be in Arabic and English.

DETAll.ED SYLLABUS:

~APER 1: COMPOSITION AND LITERATURE (2112 hrs) AND ORAL TEST '.PART 1: COMPOSITION

The Composition in Arabic win not be less than 160words.Four Essay topics will be set; ODe

of them should be a letter (formal or i...:Amal). Only one of the topics should be chosen;

Consideration will be given for orderly and coherent presentation of idC3J,use of apt:ro¢-ate diction and style. as well as correct spelling. punctuation and grammar. TIle type of the .essay will be narrative. descriptive argumentative or in a form of a dialogue.The compositioncarries 40 marks while oral test carries 20 marks.

PART II: LITERATUREArabic Literature consists of four sections. In each section. there will be two questions.Candidates will be expected to answer one question from each of the four sections in Arabic.This aspect of the paper carries 40 marks.

The Sections are:

iod O' Yen the followin&P try and Prose of the Pre-Islamic (Jahiliyyah) pen .. IS co(1) De •

topics:.. ~l:!J~~p~ya ::.u,.~0P~!'~ \f~.:fU" '1~9lt?L"~~_.

~- .

l&~{~~~~\Jy-~-iLV~,{ ~~~7~\oV--!-fJ'~)_~

~~0lf~J~.AJ..t-j~ _~

S8

~i=mI'!:' ~ - ...

... _\

WEST AFRICAN-SENIOR sCHOOL CERllFlCKrn EXAMINATION (ARABIC)

(b) Poetry and Prose of the Islamic Period (622,1798 CE) The contents of this section areu follows: .

(.flV"lA ~.~)J~'j~aJLJlJP~~ .:L, I. ~~f' ~.>!I)t.yV'Y.~_1

(?~~fy~y...-~,~-,~l!\if.U~-.~. l~~f~)~~--,y~-~~~f; ..J~\AJ~...l~ ~ .... ~...,---:J ~.. - ->:--L.>.--:-~1 - E:

e-,J\~~t! ~~~~~-o"

(c) Poetry and Prose of the mod iod ( -covered in this secti em pen 1798 to date). The following' should be.~ m section:

~!.3> IV?") 4-~~'-! ~p~1 I~ ~~.1Y)~fU~~~~'-1I

J-,)Il~'~ e, &\~I • - ).,. ., '.:.....1\ ._.hJ ~~ -.j~Y'~.!.- JI . ,ify.-- .~ ~ -- . ,-

(d) West African Arabic Texts. t,;!.y~~ ~~Lr'~t ._This section contains the following topics:

J ~. •• ", ".J ' "t ,.~ ~ ~.!r5J~I~>-:.4.:v~•.....~...JyJl~U"'. U'>yJ.~'~.-'~Y~.i~_~'t, ,. t' ..J

(J>~ \J': <.JU'-J- ~ J ~..J\~j.L<lj)'f)~\~(~ I - t>r~!01.' . '1

PART In: ORAL TESf ~~ • - -..rfc.-J~The Oral Test. which constitutes a part of Paper ONE; carries 20 marks. It will be conducted

by a visiting examiner.

The test will inclUde:(i) A reading Passage of Arabic Texts of about 120 words. It must be on topics within the

experience of the candidates e.g, incidents in the school. at borne. in the market, localhistory and aspects of culture.

1 >S9

WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (ARABIC)

(ii) Comprehension Test from the Reading Passage. Candidates will be expected to answerFIVE questions based on the Reading Passage. They will have about 15 minutes to read

.die passage before the beginning of the' actual test. .(5 marks)

(ill) JToe Conversation, . .Candidates Will be expected to talk for about 5 minutes on one of 5 selected topics:

,. _, . _, . [10 marks)

PAPElt 1 (OBJEcnvE) Ilh HOURS'..COMPREHENSION, TRANSLATION AND GRAMMAR

, <

There will be three section"s: Com~hen'sion. Tr~slatio~·and Grninmar -,

SECTION Ai COMPREHENSION30 questions based on 6 short Arabic Passages of about 60 words each on topics within theexperience of the candidates with 5 multiple-choice questions on each passage.The compre-hension carries 30 marks .

SECTION B: TRANSLATION

30 questions made up as follows:

15 questions onArabic/English translation and15 questioas on English/Arabic translation,

. . ,Tbe Arabic Text of translation questions m,us'tdeal willi things with which the candidates arefamiliar. The texts must have essential vocalization and punctuation. It carries 30 marks.

SECTION C; ." GRAMMAR

40 questions based largely on ~ Principal Grammatical Features of the Arabic Languagewill be set. This section carries 40 marks. Areas to be covered include the following:

1. Parts of Speech~~G(yt.Ml_'

2. Nocns, ProDOuns~' singular. dual sound ·~d broken plurals as well as Relative andDemonstrative pronouns." JV U A...co-ytJ. D~~~ 11 ~ \ : ~ ~~I r- 'I

l....t, ,J: C;;;,,.q ,J~_l\ ~j, .;,t..;.~'3. Gender. Masculine and Feminine Y V,f \JfC-J!:J J'-;,r ~ !.) .•....

~ j.J~~.L-J.' -r4. Prepositions and Construct Phrases: .' l.'. 1.l 1.)' . ""

"~"t;ot,:.r-:~~OJ~ -e!

60

WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL-CERllFICA"rn EXAMINATION (ARABIC) .

·i

". 5. Adjectives, conjunctions. the permutative and the emphatic

~?~J~'~!J~~;~\)C.9~ y"~ ~'_-(J

6. Verbs:· 'The perfect, the imperfect and the imperative

"I·: ~~~ tJ~~if>U' :j..czJu,(~1-77. particles governing imperfect Verbs ' .. '.;" !~" "

. '" ' ,) ,', " ~~I';()~I_"S, Nominal' and Verbal Senten~s - " " \ .:. : : - .

,.:...••..".:.1,~14~\J.)~1. ~ •../....$ .--."'. "

9. Kana', Inna and Zanna and their respective associates.

~~t,~-,=~/~~ 6~ ~~~.~~ ;C'r) ....Cj

10.Declension ofV~bs and Nouns. . '_.

).~jJ~ t,.U~!J,:,~>\ 0~Y--s...?~l>L,.a~~':'.r-!'-1'. "" ".,~~!.7 ~~IYYJ"~ .

11. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs, the five Verb"sand Conjunction of Verbs.

~'0v~-'~'Jk;,)!:J <J~,--,.(;Vl-ll12. Numbers (from one to three thousand)

. .• ...",.... .c...Jd/l ~"~..:3Jr,)....!>~-.:r-):'>..~-~JI-' \~

13. Active and Passive Voices:J-4 UJI ·y,ft.:J ~ U.n - r<

14. 'The Verbal noun,' the active participle, the passive participle. the elative and specialadjective forms

.. \ !.;0.)l ~!3j~l~!7~l1J}r.b!~\-'t' ... v:;-;-- r: t. "' ~'~'.7"

IS. Flexible and Inflexible Verbs . •

~~ ).....o\:fl~l.: '016. Adverbs, objects, the excepted and the vocative.

fc...9 \,~\ ~jJ~~ ~Jy4.-J!.f ~ ~l t' t, ~ya.l-ll- nCr--): ~'1I~'~'q \\.:J~~1J.yU-l.!1 ~}J~I..1:.J...r.,- ••~ --,u . .. ~~\U1117. 'The diminutive, Nouns of instruments, Nouns of place and time and the relative

adjective. " ••• ~I) " •.,'" 1 • •• I~-,u~!Juw.r ~~ ~'J''''''''.U:''4,..;.}!r.!r-''161

·1