Abstract
This paper highlights the challenges of current language policies in education in Africa, with reference to Uganda. Also examined are the likely challenges to language policy in education, while indicating how these challenges can be curtailed or overcome. The authors suggest a different view is required when approaching this topic with a paradigm shift from modernist theories imbued with colonial and neo-colonial approaches experienced by African countries over decades. The use of a more post-modernist critical theory is required to envisage democracy, linguistic justice, linguistic human rights, linguistic citizenship, diversity and sustainability for quality education and development. The execution of outdated language policies in education that are often misguided and do not reflect reality continually cost individual learners and their societies. This is evidenced by the trend of education output and research by scholars worldwide on literacy and educational achievement in Africa. Many African governments are tending towards local/arterial languages in educational policy and are supportive of inclusion of African languages in education; however the trend in literacy and educational attainment is stagnant with outcomes becoming worse. By advocating for a much wider collective approach, research based on these very communities by African researchers working with and in the communities can aid an improved outcome in the African settings. The approach advocates language policies in education to shift from borrowing colonial policies to pragmatic policies which are emancipatory and liberative with learner centred approaches to teaching and learning.
Highlights
Most African government education systems have their roots from the colonial period.[1,2,3,4,5,6] Uganda‘s formal education system was introduced by the Christian missionaries in the 1800s and to date some of the education polices still claim their roots from the colonial era and promises of modernity.[7, 8] As such, most educational policies have not broken away from this ideological entanglement of the past
African governments continue to promote policies which do not connect with the realities of the societies
The paper highlights that the African Governments continually digress from the realities in dealing with the challenges of current language policies in education in Africa, with reference to Uganda. It highlights the lack of trust and all-pervading radical doubt among African countries in what is needed to offset the dilemmas of language in education with no ready-made solutions
Summary
Most African government education systems have their roots from the colonial period.[1,2,3,4,5,6] Uganda‘s formal education system was introduced by the Christian missionaries in the 1800s and to date some of the education polices still claim their roots from the colonial era and promises of modernity.[7, 8] As such, most educational policies have not broken away from this ideological entanglement of the past. To mitigate ethnic conflict and to promote unity, African Governments have continually used language as a political or ideological tool of control. This makes foreign languages, such as English, in Uganda the official and medium of instruction, except in rural lower primary classrooms (P1-P3). [3, 10, 11] This political control and influence of the hegemonic forces have perpetuated increased threat of extinction of these languages, continued use of global languages like English in education as medium of instruction [12, 13]; increasing levels of illiteracy; and increasing levels of dropout rates and enormous cost (waste and expenditure) on both learners and economically. Upholding the aspect of differences of value and the value of difference. [7]
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