An Exploration of Multilingualism and Zimbabwean Language Policy as an Impact to Child's Holistic Development

Abstract

The language policy of Zimbabwe observes all 16 languages as official. However, it is a contradiction of what the Zimbabwean market dictates. The job market dictates that the English language should be passed to either access the higher institution of learning, the higher secondary education and the job market. The move by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education to promote the learning of science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) as paradigm shift is also elevating the English language as the only language to explicate reality in science and the business fraternity. The learning of indigenous languages currently is of no benefit to an individual yet language competence in the second language is guaranteed by a proper bilingualism initiation at the proper linguistic level of the child. This article analyses English language performance at “0” and the University level to uncover if multilingualism is a resource or problem in Zimbabwe. The study observes both the “0” level and first year university student competence through essay writing.