Languages of instruction and the question of education quality in Africa: a post-2015 challenge and the work of CASAS

Brock‐Utne, Birgit; Mercer, Malcolm

doi:10.1080/03057925.2014.911979

Cited by 8 publications

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“…Hence, the language of instruction is an important tool in converting resources into outcomes, and it has been recommended that learning, at least in the early years, should be in the pupil's mother tongue (Tikly & Barrett 2011;. If instruction is given in a different language, it might limit the pupil's access to the curriculum and thus their learning outcomes (Tikly & Barrett 2011;Brock-Utne & Mercer 2014).…”

Section: Two Theoretical Traditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing the quality of primary education in urban and rural settings: The case of Iringa Region, Tanzania

Lindsjö

2018

Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography

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The purpose of the article is to discuss the term 'quality' in relation to primary education in Tanzania, and to contextualize quality and identify the premises for obtaining quality in primary school education in rural and urban settings. To understand opinions about the quality of education and the current situation in primary schools, the author conducted interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with parents and caregivers in Iringa town and three villages in Iringa Region. The findings indicate a general consensus, regardless of geographical setting, that quality in primary education is primarily measurable through national exams. However, surrounding circumstances such as infrastructure and poverty have a great impact on the quality of education in rural primary schools. Lack of water and electricity, and poor transport networks have consequences for schooling by limiting children's, parents', and teachers' access to school supplies and limiting the ability of officials to carry out monitoring activities. The author concludes that the premises for providing and receiving education vary to a great extent, depending on geographical setting, and favour urban youths with respect to their further education.

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Section: Two Theoretical Traditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing the quality of primary education in urban and rural settings: The case of Iringa Region, Tanzania

Lindsjö

2018

Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography

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“…The dominance of the English language and its use in most African education systems is indicative of its colonial oppressive nature that continues to haunt most African education systems and has resulted in African languages shifting to the background and becoming underdeveloped (Brock-Utne & Mercer, 2014;Mohr & Ochieng, 2017;Olajide, 2010;Prah, 2010). The English language carries Eurocentric culture, worldviews, and knowledges that…”

Section: Colonial Lolt Vs Edloltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voices of Grade Four teachers in response to Mazibuye Izilimi Zomdabu! (Bring Back African Languages!): A decolonising approach

Mweli¹

2018

Journal of Education

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The language of learning and teaching (LoLT) poses a threat to the quality of teaching and learning of most learners who speak African languages in Africa and particularly in South Africa. In this study, I explore language attitudes and the lived experiences of 400 Grade Four teachers in Pinetown and UMgungundlovu districts teaching African learners using English as LoLT. The study challenges Anglonormative language ideologies (Mckinney, Carrim, Layton, & Marshall, 2015) and the coloniality of dominant discourses about LoLT in South Africa. Calling on the voices of the teachers, I argue for the use of African languages to teach African learners as a powerful measure to regain African identity and to delink education from Eurocentric knowledge and cultures. I compared results from quantitative and qualitative data to arrive at the overall finding that most Grade Four teacher participants prefer the use of African languages to teach African learners and that these teachers are experiencing difficulty in using English as LoLT to teach most of them. Drawing from teachers' responses, I conclude that the use of African languages in education connects learners' worldviews and ways of knowing to the curriculum and provides access to knowledge.

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Language of Instruction as a Social Marker of Difference

Brock-Utne

2024

Multilingual Education Yearbook

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Languages of instruction and the question of education quality in Africa: a post-2015 challenge and the work of CASAS

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Contextualizing the quality of primary education in urban and rural settings: The case of Iringa Region, Tanzania

Contextualizing the quality of primary education in urban and rural settings: The case of Iringa Region, Tanzania

Voices of Grade Four teachers in response to Mazibuye Izilimi Zomdabu! (Bring Back African Languages!): A decolonising approach

Language of Instruction as a Social Marker of Difference

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