The Dilemma of Medium of Instruction in Tanzania: A Critical Analysis of its Language-in-education Policies

Abstract

Ex-colonial languages have exerted influence on the development of education and the shaping of other socio-economic and political structures in post-colonial countries. Based on an overview of language-in-education policies in Tanzania, the article offers a nuanced account of the disparity between the use of English and Kiswahili as medium of instruction (MoI). The dominance of English and the marginalization of Kiswahili have given rise to a dilemma with far-reaching implications for every stakeholder in education. The article proposes that the weakness of Kiswahili in comparison to English is attributed to the trend that Tanzania has been divided along the lines of several pairs of dichotomies, together with the infiltration of neocolonialism in post-colonial era. In this vein, the article comes to the conclusion that the issues of MoI choice and continuity should not remain unresolved, as their dysfunction creates backlash in other social contexts.

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