English in Panama: How the English Department at the University of Panama is Killing the Language in the Country

By Clifton Green James

English proficiency in Panama is among the lowest in the world. The English Department of the University of Panama is literally killing the language in the country. This book, English in Panama: How the English Department of the University of Panama Is Killing the Language in the Country, contains both positive and negative information.

On the positive side, the book outlines the United States Embassy's role in improving the language in Panama. The United States Embassy in Panama has a Regional English Language Office (RELO) which provides professional development opportunities for English teachers in Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Suriname, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. Other topics featured are the importance of English; English proficiency in Latin America; a brief history of Panama; and Panama's ties to the United States of America.

The negatives include a critique of the English Department of the University of Panama, which include professors' lack of knowledge of the subject they teach and the incompetence and ignorance of the language portrayed by many in the department. In this regard, many are unable to speak the language that they teach. These defects need to be exposed. This has been going on for too many years. Evidences of this are outlined in chapters 3 and 4.

English is just not taught the way that it should. Students are not hearing enough of the language spoken by their professors. Professors in the department neglect to practice speaking the language that they teach. This neglect is not only causing a problem in the department and the university, but it has spilled over to affect the entire country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890617279

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Preface

Introduction

Defects and Lack of Knowledge

The Importance of English

Conversations with the Prominent Member of the Department

Prominent Member's Messages to English Professors

History of the University of Panama and Its Ranking with Other Universities in the Country

Problems for Learners of English in Panama

Brief History of Panama

Panama's Ties to the United States of America

The United States' Role in Fostering the English Language in Panama

Panama's English Proficiency: A Critical Challenge in the Global Economy

How the Language Is Taught and Spoken in the Country

English as a Second or Foreign Language and How It Is Conceived in Panama

The English Department of the University of Panama and Its Role in the Low Level of English in the Country

The Killing of the English Language 1

Conclusion

About the Author

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English in Panama

How the English Department at the University of Panama is Killing the Language in the Country

Clifton Green James

Copyright © 2024 Clifton Green James

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2024

ISBN 979-8-89061-726-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89061-728-6 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89061-727-9 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

My name is Clifton Green. I was born in Jamaica, but I am now living in Panama. I studied at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama, United States of America. I have a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in English education.

I chose the title English in Panama: How the English Department of the University of Panama Is Killing the English Language in the Country because this is what is happening with the language at the University of Panama. This is how some English professors in the department of English are treating the language. They are killing the language.

After completing my studies in the United States of America, I returned to Panama with the hope of working at an institution where English is dominant. I hoped to work at a place where the language is understood and spoken, a place where people had a good grasp of the language and were able to motivate and inspire students who choose to major in it. I was wrong.

It is with great regret that I have to write this book, but after several attempts to correct the misunderstandings and ignorance of the language, at this institution, I find it necessary. My stance for better proficiency of the language in the department and eventually the country has cost me a lot. For one, I no longer have friends in the department. People are afraid to be seen speaking to me. I was removed from several committees that I served on for years. And the director of the department has isolated me completely from other professors. These things resulted from my attempts to correct the many mistakes made by English professors.

I consider myself the whistleblower in the department. My only regret is that there is nobody in Panama to blow my whistle to. No one in Panama, especially the university, cares to listen. The administrators of the university are so ignorant of the language that there is not even the faintest chance that they would understand. I tried on several occasions but failed. I decided that perhaps I should just put all these events along with my experiences in a book.

This book is intended to educate the public of how the English department of the University of Panama is killing the English language in the country. As a professor in the department, I have firsthand knowledge, facts, and evidence to justify everything in the book. This book should also enlighten Panamanians and the public in general of the gross incompetence of most professors in the department.

For many years, the failures and incompetence of many in the department have been kept hush-hush. People are afraid to speak about it. But Panamanians have a right to know why Panama is rated amongst the lowest in the world in English proficiency. People who cannot speak and write English should not be allowed to teach English. And this is the case at this university. Many professors in the department are qualified only on paper. Some have doctorate degrees from online universities, but getting them to speak and write the language is like telling them to climb Mount Everest. This has reached an unprecedented low level, and something must be done about it. My experience working in the department is amazing. You will be surprised to learn how the department is run.

I will outline much of the ignorance, lack of preparation, the inability to speak and write the language, and the total ineptitude of many in the department. These people are teaching students who are majoring in English. Most classes in the department are conducted in Spanish. Very little English is spoken. English is rarely heard in the hallways of the department. Departmental meetings are conducted in Spanish. All internal communications and committee meetings are in Spanish. It is not surprising that Panama is at the very bottom of the spectrum worldwide. Most Central American countries are far ahead of Panama in English proficiency. Neither the director of the department nor the administrators are concerned about this. They are satisfied the way things are.

The department recently approved post-graduate programs (master's and doctoral programs) in English. The question is, who is going to participate in these programs? And, more importantly, who is going to teach the participants if there are any? Certainly not the people who are now teaching. They are definitely not qualified. Many need classes on how to speak and write the language.

The greater part of the book focuses on Panama's main institution of learning, the University of Panama. Most Panamanians and a small percentage of students from neighboring countries earn their degrees at this university. When English majors get mediocre and low-quality instructions, they go out into the world and project the same. The cycle keeps going on and on. Universities should be committed to equal opportunity in employment and education. Universities should be committed to providing quality education to students. Is this the case in the English department of this university? This and many other questions will be answered in this book.

A lot is revealed in the book. I conducted extensive research in writing this book. In this regard, I would like to acknowledge the various sources from the Internet and other related sources.

When I realized that I was intent on publishing this book, I drafted a letter to the rector of the university. I delivered the letter to his secretary who in turn gave it to him. This is the content of the letter:

Professor Clifton Green

English Department

University of Panama

Dr. Edwardo Flores Castro

Rector, University of Panama

May 18, 2023

Dear Rector:

Best regards.

Subject: English in Panama

I don't know if you are aware of the low level of English proficiency in Panama. If you are not, you should understand that our country, Panama, is among the countries with the lowest level of English proficiency in the world. The questions are: Why is this so? and who is responsible for this low level of English proficiency in the country?

As the rector of the university, you need to know what is happening at the institution you are in charge of. I'm sharing this information with you because I don't want you to have any surprises.

I'm about to publish a book about this. The introduction to my book is attached. The title of my book is English in Panamá: How the English Department of the University of Panama Is Killing the English Language in the Country.

This book is scheduled to be published in the United States at the end of this year or early next year.

After sending this letter to the rector, I was of the impression that he (the rector) would call me in and try to dissuade me from publishing the book. He did not. Instead, he got the dean of the faculty involved. The dean, in turn, called an emergency meeting. All professors in the English Department were invited. The purpose of the meeting was to have the professors vote on initiating an inquiry into the letter that I sent to the rector. A committee was selected culminating in my receiving a letter of sanction from the dean of the faculty.

The following was my response to the rector:

Professor Clifton Green

English Department

University of Panama

Dr. Edwardo Flores Castro

Rector

University of Panama

6th September 2023

Dear Rector:

Greetings.

Subject: English in Panamá

First, let me congratulate you on the great job that you are doing as Rector of this university. This is evident in the improvements in the infrastructures of the different campuses of this university.

This letter is a response to the action that you took regarding my previous letter to you. I am truly concerned Mr. Rector about the English Department of this university. As a professor in the department, I am telling you that the department is in bad shape. Regardless of what you hear from the director of the department and from the dean of the faculty, the department needs help. The department needs capable English professors.

I indicated to you in a previous letter that I am about to publish a book about this. I was somewhat disappointed in the way that you responded to my letter. My first thoughts were that you would call me into your office and dissuade me from publishing the book. You instead got the dean involved. Getting the dean involved is not going to resolve the problem

When the dean, the director of the English department, and other professors in the English department try to silence me, the real problem is still there. When the dean gets the ethics committee to sanction me, that will not resolve the problem. When the director of the department is now keeping me as far away from the School of English by giving me classes in Curundu (Curundu is one of the university's campuses a couple miles away from the main campus), that will not resolve the problem. This problem in the English department is huge and it is not new. This is a problem that is ongoing for several decades. The department does not want good English professors. When good English professors come to the department, the bad professors are fearful that their sins will be revealed. That is what is happening now. Many people in the department are teaching English but are unable to speak and write the language. Several students who graduated from the department are speaking about it. People on the outside are talking about it. I am on the inside, and I am talking about it. Several articles were published in the newspapers about the low level of English in the country.

Students majoring in English need to hear spoken English in their classes. They need to learn the language by hearing their professors speak the language. This is not happening. The School of English is just one example. The School of English is for English majors. Every student in this school should have a good knowledge of the language to fully understand spoken English. There should be absolutely no need for English professors in this School to be speaking only Spanish in their classes. There should be no need for department meetings (with English professors only) to be conducted in Spanish. There should be no need for internal messages in the department be in Spanish. These things are happening because professors in the department are unable to speak and write the language that they are teaching.

This is bad for the university and the country. As indicated in my previous letter to you, Panama is among the lowest in the world in English proficiency. The University of Panama is the main cause. Several students are graduating from the department and are unable to speak and write the language.

The English department recently approved postgraduate programs in English. They do not have professors to teach the courses. My first language is English. My bachelor's and master's degrees are in English—not English as a Second Language but English. I am an asset to the department. I understand that there are regulations regarding categorical changes, but there are also exceptions. The main problem with this department and the university is that they do not want to pay qualified English professors the salaries they deserve. I came to this university with over 15 years' experience as an English professor. And I had to fight to attain the grade of Special II which is the second lowest category. This is unacceptable in comparison to professors who are titled professors and cannot speak English.

Clifton Green

I am now waiting on his response.

Most photographs featured in the book were obtained from various Internet sources that had no restrictions or copyright policies.

Introduction

English proficiency in Panama is among the lowest in the world. The English Department of the University of Panama is literally killing the language in the country. This book, English in Panama: How the English Department of the University of Panama Is Killing the Language in the Country, contains both positive and negative information.

On the positive side, the book outlines the United States Embassy's role in improving the language in Panama. The United States Embassy in Panama has a Regional English Language Office (RELO) which provides professional development opportunities for English teachers in Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Suriname, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. Other topics featured are the following: the importance of English; English proficiency in Latin America; a brief history of Panama; and Panama's ties to the United States of America.

The negatives include a critique of the English Department of the University of Panama, which include professors' lack of knowledge of the subject they teach and the incompetence and ignorance of the language portrayed by many in the department. In this regard, many are unable to speak the language that they teach. These defects need to be exposed. This has been going on for too many years. Evidences of this are outlined in chapters 3 and 4.

The book goes on to feature a brief history of the University of Panama, its English proficiency, its critical challenge in the global economy, and how the language is taught and spoken in the country.

Vital issues that are required to motivate and foster better learning of the language are completely neglected. Many long-standing members in the department are prepared to indulge in their old-fashioned ways. English is just not taught the way that it should. Students are not hearing enough of the language spoken by their professors. The saying practice makes perfect is totally disregarded. Professors in the department neglect to practice speaking the language that they teach. This neglect is not only causing a problem in the department and the university, but it has spilled over to affect the entire country.

Spanish is the official language of Panama. Approximately 95 percent of the population speaks Spanish as a first language. As of 2021, only 14 percent of the population is proficient in English. This is a great concern, given the country's status as a global trading hub and its historical ties to the United States of America. Panama is located in Central America. It has a rich history and culture that dates back several centuries. Although it is a relatively small country, it plays a significant role in global trading. The Panama Canal is important in that it revolutionizes trade and transportation between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Despite its importance globally, it faces several critical issues. One such issue is the level of English proficiency in the country. Panama's English proficiency should be much higher than it presently is.

Proficiency in English can open a wide range of opportunities for individuals living in the country. Better paying jobs, access to higher education, effective communication with people from different cultures are just some of the advantages of speaking the language. Panama is a country that attracts numerous tourists and this is also a factor needed in English proficiency.

Many Panamanians lack access to higher