Write@Home
Winter 2015

English

Eritrea flag drawn on chalkboard

Just like other foreign countries, Eritrea’s education system has a mandatory English course which is part of all the other subjects including Math, Physics, and Chemistry. Although Eritrea is a developing country. Its education is quite at the same pace as its neighbouring countries meaning that the school system in Eritrea teaches similar subjects as Sudan and Ethiopia and that students go to school for 6 days a week. Public schools teach a 45 miniute subject of English which is different from private Italian schools where English is spoken in all the subjects which enhances the student’s ability to speak English fluently, even outside of school. However, for those in the workforce, it’s rare for them to speak or understand English because the only way one can understand, write. and speak in English is if they learned it in school.

In Canada, English is spoken everywhere, in grocery stores, schools, work, malls, etc. Since people predominantly speak English, the environment influences the ability of anybody in this country to speak English. Schooling in Canada is much more different than in Eritrea as high schools allow students to take a few elective courses and mainly mandatory ones, which in the first year would add up to 8 credits. Canadian schooling also consists of ESL classes instead of a normal Academic or applied English course for those who need to learn English at a slower pace. In conclusion, all of these factors define that students spend most of their time at work and school than at home and therefore, they are influenced by the language of English by the environment that they are surrounded by every day.