The Tanzanian bilingual policy requires children to master both Kiswahili and English as a pre-requisite for successful secondary school completion. While Kiswahili is utilized as the medium of instruction in primary school, English is enforced as the means of communication in secondary and tertiary school. Thus, knowledge of English is fundamental for Kwala students attainment of higher education.

Understanding the System:
Formalized by end of British period, the educational system is structured into: Primary, Secondary, and tertiary. These three levels consist of: two years of pre-primary education and seven years of primary education, four years of Junior Secondary (Ordinary “O” Level), two years of Senior Secondary (Advanced “A” Level) and up to three or more years of Tertiary Education.  In the four years of primary/basic school, Kiswahili is both the medium of instruction and a subject while English is introduced as a subject in the third year of primary education and is taught for four hours per week. In the 4 to 6 years secondary education (O and A level respectively) English is used as the medium of education for all subjects and national exams are proctored in English.

Understanding the Issue:

Despite the institutionalization of English through education, it is spoken by only 5% of the population, whereas Kiswahili is the prevailing lingua franca and spoken by over 95% of Tanzanians. Thus the extent to which this Tanzanian language policy can be implemented (The extent to which English can be successfully used as the medium of instruction)  is limited by this sociolinguistic context in which English is, despite its official status, largely a foreign language which is not spoken outside of the classroom. The question is then, if students don’t understand the medium of instruction, how then are they expected to understand subjects taught through this medium?

Community Solution:

NTC plans create an English Club at Kwala Secondary School beginning in September, 2009. With this club, NTC hopes to provide students with a casual, fun, and exciting place to learn and practice English. Unlike learning in the classroom, the English club will enable students the opportunity to practice their English conversational skills in a real life setting, a setting which is nearly non existent within the Kwala community at large as Kiswahili dominates most other domains of Tanzanian life. By making English the linga franca in this specific location, NTC hopes to enhance students understanding of English while also helping them to feel comfortable while speaking English both inside and outside of the classroom.