Director’s Welcome Note
Dear students,
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to welcome you to the Institute of Languages and Literatures and the host of the Foundation Program of the University of Southern Somalia. The IL&L welcomes you to this new experience in which you will be trained in skills that will help you communicate in the English medium proficiently and manage your studies independently by means of training in Study Skills. Both our Foundation and English Language programs consist of useful subjects of great interest and have purposely designed interrelationship.
In fact, it is worthwhile mentioning that the idea behind the establishment of the Institute of Languages and Literatures was necessitated by the growing demand and desire of our students to master the English language. Supposedly being the medium of instruction of the University of Southern Somalia, poor communication in the English language has been identified as one the major problems the USS students encounter in the course of their studies and even later in their professional life.
On the other hand, particularly from the viewpoint of studying English, various courses of diverse proficiency levels were planned and designed, from beginner level to advanced level. Moreover, the center was mandated to host and conduct the Foundation Program for new students as well as proficiency development courses designed to cater to the needs of continuing students in the various levels of their studies. More specifically, some of the courses have been designed to deal with particular skills such as general English and English for Specific Purpose which include academic English.
As part of the enhancement of the USS students’ English language and study skills, from September 2020, it is a prerequisite for all new applicants to undergo an institutional entry test. The aim of the test is to place the student in an appropriate level in order to bridge the gap between the student’s current level of competence and that required for learning in a higher education institution. In the Foundation Program, students will also be trained on Study Skills; courses in sciences and arts, or any other important subject that will help the students access their areas of study with ease.
Finally, the IL&L has also been created, ideologically, with the aim of addressing not specifically the difficulty which our students face in mastering the English language but as an institute whose duties should include the study of Maay language and culture. The incorporation of Maay Language and Culture into the institute’s study program shows the SWSS people’s pride in their culture, history and civilization.