Language Policy in Tanzania

According to Gordon (2005), there are roughly 127 languages spoken by people in Tanzania. Among these languages, Swahili is used as the lingua franca of the country. The history behind Swahili as the official medium of instruction in Tanzania began in the late seventeenth century. Back then, there was a controversy over which language should be used as the medium in society. German and Swahili were both considered as the prominent languages in Tanzania during that time. After some time, Swahili was finally chosen as the official. However, there were many speculations occurred regarding the choosing of Swahili over German. The government of Tanzania might resolve to Swahili because it will lead to better academic achievements because Swahili is the lingua franca in the country. Another reason is probably that the government wanted Swahili to be considered equal as German and to maintain their identity as the Tanzanian (Sa, 2007). Swahili still used in education even after World War 1 ended. After the British took over the administration, any German based instruction was converted to English. However, Swahili is still used as the language of education but with some changes. Swahili would only be used as the medium of instruction in the first five years of the primary school. The following years and secondary school are to be conducted in English (Rubagumya, 1990). Administration and other management units were mostly using English as medium of instruction. In the year of 1985, due to the increasing concerns about the current language policy, the government demanded a change in education. Medium of education in secondary school and primary school are to be conducted in Swahili. This totally removes English as medium of instruction in education. Despite this change, the Ministry of Education soon realized that English is still needed in Education. It was not that long after the changes that the Ministry of Education decided to reverse the policy to its previous form. Swahili will be used in primary school, and English will be used in secondary school. This policy is still used until today.

Educational Language Policy in Tanzania

Issue and challenges As mentioned earlier, language medium in education in Tanzania are English and Swahili. Swahili is used in primary school, while English is used in secondary school. However, it seems that the current language policy in education is not that promising for Tanzania people. In a study done by Sa (2007), some Tanzanian believed that, implementing Swahili in primary school is one of the biggest flaws in the policy. This is because English is a necessity in job market nowadays. As such, English should be taught in the earlier phase of education. This is a very important turning point for Tanzanian students in order for them to be accepted internationally in job market. Besides that, there are also issues regarding the use of English in secondary school in Tanzania. Despite the government effort to improve the learners English by implementing English as the medium in secondary school, problems seem to rise because from this. The government failed in maintaining the English language as the official medium in secondary school. There are reasons and influences, which contribute to this. The use of Swahili as medium of instruction in primary school is one of the reason that English is hardly used in secondary school. Some students who are used to using Swahili in their primary years will find it hard to switch to English in secondary school years. Some of them would not even bother of using English once they entered secondary school. Besides that, some of the teachers also find it hard to use English as medium of instruction in school (Sa, 2007). English has become a difficult language to be used by people who are not familiar with the language to begin with. Teachers for example, will find it hard to express themselves in front of the students by using English. This is because they are not exposed with this language in their early years of studying. In the end, Tanzanian teachers and students switch to a more familiar language for educational instruction, which in this case is Swahili. In a study done by Rugemalira et al. (1990), the statistics show that about 75 percent of teaching in the early years of secondary education was done in Swahili. One of the reasons that contributed to this scenario is the use of Swahili in primary school. Primary school

students who use Swahili as the medium of instructions will find it difficult to switch to a different language in their secondary school. This will lead them to using code switching between Swahili and English. Although this seems to be a good start for their secondary school years, most of the instructions were done in Swahili rather than English. In the end of their secondary education, students will face and even bigger problem due to the lack of English proficiency. Another major problem with the language policy in Tanzania is regarding the national exit exams for secondary school. Every secondary student is required to take the exit exams before graduation. This poses a serious problem for students who are not proficient in English. Although the teachers and students were given the permission to code-switch and use a more familiar language in classroom, the students would still end up with the difficulty to answer the exit exams if they are not proficient in English. This not only might jeopardize their marks, but might cause them to fail the exams as well.

Resolutions to the Current Language Policy in Tanzania The current educational language policy in Tanzania should undergo some changes if the government is to produce more competitive and internationally marketable citizens. The ability to converse in English is one of the deciding factors, which enables the students to gain access to high-paying jobs in Tanzania. In order to achieve this, the students must first be able to speak proficiently in English Considering the current educational language policy in Tanzania, it will be rather difficult to accomplish this. However, some people have already developed their own approaches to counter the problems posed by this policy. Aware of the scenario in their educational system, many wealthy parents have already started sending their children to private schools in neighbouring countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Zambia (Mazrui, 1997). These neighbouring countries have different educational language policies as compared to that in Tanzania. The policies are geared towards developing students who are proficient in English. By sending their children to these countries, it will be able to produce whom capable of using English better than most Tanzanian students who went to the local schools. Although this seem to be on the positive

side of the scenario, this would automatically indicate that only those who have the ability (wealthy people) will be able to learn English properly and secure a high-paying job. Another suggestion is that, The Ministry of Education in Swahili should try to expand the role of Swahili in secondary school. In the current scenario, despite the use of English as the medium of instruction in secondary school, Swahili is still preferred among students. Judging from this situation, the government should try to change the educational policy in secondary to school to be more Swahili oriented. (Sa, 2007). If Swahili is used as the medium in secondary school, it is almost guaranteed that the achievements of the students will be improved. However, English should not be neglected. Perhaps the best way is not by changing Swahili as the medium of instruction in secondary school, but to promote students to start using English in primary school (Sa, 2007). With this policy, the students will be able to prepare themselves to learn entirely in English when they reach secondary school. Besides that, the national exit exams should be divided into English-based and Swahili-based. That way, the students will be able to choose which language suits them the most. This will reduce the rate of students who failed the exams.

Conclusion It can be concluded that the educational language policy in Tanzania is not as effective as it seems. The use of Swahili as the medium in primary school and English as the medium in secondary school is unable to produce many highly marketable students. The most important aspect is the ability to master English. In Tanzania, those who are able to use English proficiently will more likely to secure high-paying jobs. This in return will lead to other positive results such as the growth of economy. Another important aspect is the use of Swahili in secondary school. If the school achievement is higher when conducted in Swahili, the students should just learn in Swahili rather than English. If the teachers and students are more comfortable in using a familiar language in teaching and learning processes, it will lead to a higher quality of education. Last but not the least, language policy is one of the important aspects not just in education, but also in politics, economy and society.

References

Gordon, 2005. ed. Summer Institute of Languages. Ethnologue. http://www.ethnologue.com. (16 December 2013)

Mazrui, A. 1997. The World Bank, the language question and the future of African education Race and Class 38.3: 35-48.

Rubagumya, C. M. 1990. Language in Tanzania. Language in Education in Africa: A Tanzanian Perspective. Ed. C. M. Rubagumya. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.

Rugemalira, J. M, C. M. Rubagumya, M. K. Kapinga, A. F. Lwaitama and J. G. Tetlow. 1990.Reflections on recent developments in language policy in Tanzania. Language in Education in Africa: A Tanzanian Perspective. Ed. C. M. Rubagumya. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.

Sa, E. 2007. Language Policy for Education and Development in Tanzania.Student Papers in Linguistics. Swarthmore College.