Tanzania drops English as the language of instruction in secondary schools

[intruder]

SOme of you will not understand the importance and impact of this but it is HUGE. Props to Tanzania for phasing out another European language

Tanzania drops English as the language of instruction in secondary schools
Tuesday 17th February , 2015 10:30 am

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Tanzania on Saturday announced a new educational overhaul plan, one that will extend basic education to Form 4, instead of the current Standard VII.

“It’s our hope that when students complete this basic education, which is compulsory up to Form 4, they will be at an age ready to contribute to the country’s development,” Sifuni Mchome, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, said.

He added during a televised national ceremony that the new system would abolish national examinations for primary school leavers.

Mchome noted that students would have their final exams after 11 years in primary and secondary schools.

He said the new system would make primary and secondary education free of charge at state-run schools.

Most important in the new system is that it will ditch English as a language of instruction at Tanzania’s schools, making Kiswahili – the mother tongue of the people of Tanzania – the instruction language in these schools.

English dominated teaching in Tanzania’s schools from secondary to tertiary levels for a long time.

“Language studies will then be available to enable students to communicate in English,” Atetaulwa Ngatara, the assistant director for policy at the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, said.

“Communicating in English is something to do with language studies,” he added.

Mchome, meanwhile, noted that the new system would also incorporate vocational education in basic education syllabus to allow students who do not make it to Form 5 to have skills to contribute to the development of their country.

“We need a critical mass of skilled labor for the country’s development,” Mchome said.

“This cannot be achieved within the current policy, which focuses on filtering and rejecting students without skills through final exams,” he added.

Nevertheless, the new system might take decades to take root, some of the officials speaking on Saturday said, because extensive preparations would need to be made for English to be ditched.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said the new system was part of his country’s Vision 2025.

He said the system took the global economy, and social and technological changes into account.

“In the next seven years, we will have built the capacity whereby every child who starts Standard I will reach Form 4,” the President said.

He added that the system would take Tanzania to the next level, where the nation would have skilled people with both practical and theoretical knowledge.

- See more at: http://www.citifmonline.com/2015/02...on-in-secondary-schools/#sthash.3YqujTAj.dpuf

I really wish Haiti could get to the point where they do the same with French. It will level the playing field quite a bit

 

[Azik]

Respect! Absolutely no need reason for a foreign language to be the nations primary language. Many other Afrikan and Caribbean nations should follow suit.

 

[TooLazyToMakeUp1]

The president also announced a 1 million solar home project to lower energy costs for citizens.


They better be careful

 

[Premeditated]

Just wanted to have a reason to post this

 

[SPACE IS FAKE]

I want to visit Tanzania so bad but those ticket prices

 

[1stPick]

I disagree with this. Knowing English is pretty important in this globalized society.

 

[mbewane]

Good. I hope more african countries put their own national languages first, especially those who are lucky to have one dominant one. I personnaly think they should still teach English and/or French since it's always an advantage to know naother language, and it would be a pity to willingly abandon an advantage. But national languages should be put forward.

 

[intruder]

Many other Afrikan and Caribbean nations should follow suit.

Most Caribbean nations can't. Only nations that have a an alternate language are Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe which all speak kreyol even tho kreyol is derived from french but it has over time evolved into its own language.

Im not sure you can say that about the other nations.

• The Spanish speaking nations (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic) have no other language to fall back to. Besides, DR takes too much pride in their spanish heritage. They wouldn't distance themselves from Europeans like that even if they could
• The English speaking islands haven't FORMALLY embraced Patois like that to the point where they can abandon english. I dont know that they have legal communications in Patois. I dont think they have much of a choice either.

 

[MadameMoreaux]

I disagree with this. Knowing English is pretty important in this globalized society.

If you don't plan on doing business with white folk then why bother? No african country should have to depend on europeans. Africa has way too many natural resources for all that. If anything, europeans should be learning african languages.

 

[intruder]

Good. I hope more african countries put their own national languages first, especially those who are lucky to have one dominant one. I personnaly think they should still teach English and/or French since it's always an advantage to know naother language, and it would be a pity to willingly abandon an advantage. But national languages should be put forward.

If you read the article it says other languages (including english) will be taught as electives like we do here. It's just that their normal classes (Math, sciences) will no longer be taught in English

 

[WheresWallace]

I met a chick from Tanzania. We were working on a project together. She was relatively petite with a monstrous ass. She was kinda conservative so she was always covered up. But that thang was poking out something serious.

I think its dope that they are getting rid of English from schools. First step of freeing yourself of the colonizers ideologies.

 

[Poitier]

Dumb. I'll wait on reform in the financial sector and curbing the ubiquitous corruption in Tanzania.

The problem isn't teaching Western languages, its prioritizing them. The global economy isn't going anywhere and English is an asset, like it or not.

If you don't plan on doing business with white folk then why bother?

Snap out of la la land

 

[intruder]

I disagree with this. Knowing English is pretty important in this globalized society.

Learn PROGRESSIVE THINKING, my friend

Every language has to evolve.

DID YOU KNOW that as of mid 13th century FRENCH was the language spoken in court proceedings in ENGLAND.
But English has eventually evolved and taken over. French took over from Latin. English took over from French. Who knows what will be the dominant language 1000 years from now. I guarantee you it won't be english

 

[MadameMoreaux]

Dumb. I'll wait on reform in the financial sector and curbing the ubiquitous corruption in Tanzania.

The problem isn't teaching Western languages, its prioritizing them. The global economy isn't going anywhere and English is an asset, like it or not.



Snap out of la la land

Why are you laughing? This is part of the problem, we try to have meaningful discussions but people start responding with smileys and insults and the conversation goes nowhere.
The African continent has the natural resources and man power to cripple Europe. Quit letting them tell you otherwise.

 

[MadameMoreaux]

Learn PROGRESSIVE THINKING, my friend

Every language has to evolve.

DID YOU KNOW that as of mid 13th century FRENCH was the language spoken in court proceedings in ENGLAND.
But English has eventually evolved and taken over. French took over from Latin. English took over from French. Who knows what will be the dominant language 1000 years from now. I guarantee you it won't be english

Tanzania is taking steps to make sure their languages are at the forefront. The revolution is now.