Centre of Communication Studies

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Multilingualism and language in Education in Tanzania
(CUP, 2015) Qorro, Martha
Tanzania is a multilingual country with a unique situation in Africa whereby in addition to numerous ethnic community languages (ELCs), there is Kiswahili, a lingua franca spoken by an estimated 95% or more of the population. Kiswahili is one of the two official languages in Tanzania, English being the other official language, spoken by less than 5% in the country. This chapter proposes the use of a familiar language as the language of instruction because in any kind of learning, a language that the learner understands is a prerequisite for effective learning. This is because the level of language mastery of a person determines that person’s ability to understand, process and present his or her thoughts. What is needed in Tanzania and Africa in general is high quality education through familiar languages that will allow knowledge and skills to be learnt and then disseminated to the communities for application.