The relevance of the language policy for instruction and assessment of secondary education in Tanzania - A comparative analysis between the former Swahili and English medium students

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper argues that effective education in a knowledge society depends on resolving the policy of language used for instruction and assessment in Tanzania’s secondary schooling. It evaluates the relevance of the current language policy for Ordinary Secondary Education and reports how it affects post-primary learning and student performance. Data were collected via interviews, observation checklists, and tests in English and Biology for Form One students from both English- and Swahili-medium primary backgrounds. Results show large performance gaps, and high English-medium access to English written materials via computer technology. The study recommends removing language barriers in education policy while keeping English and Swahili compulsory subjects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background of the study

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 3(1), pp. 1-8, January 2015 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper The relevance of the language policy for instruction and assessment of secondary education in Tanzania: A comparative analysis between the former Swahili and English medium students Peragia F. Bikongoro National Examinations Council of Tanzania, Tanzania. Accepted 8 January, 2014 | ABSTRACT
This paper argues that effective education in a knowledge society cannot be realized unless the issue of the policy of the language of instruction and assessment is resolved. This study discusses the relevance of the language policy currently in use for instruction and assessment of Ordinary Secondary Education in Tanzania. It also presents the research findings on the extent to which the language policy has passed a barrier towards students’ performance and effective learning in post primary level. Data were collected through interviews, observation checklist and administering a test in English and Biology subjects to Form One students. Students who sat for the tests were purposively selected. The first group included 250 students who studied in English medium primary schools where English was a medium of instruction and the second group was 250 students who studied in Swahili medium primary schools where Swahili was a medium of instruction. Findings revealed that students who scored above 70 marks, the former English medium students had 78% in Biology and 87% in English test while the former Swahili medium students had 15% in Biology and 12% in English test. It was also revealed that 90% of the former English medium students were able to use computer technology in accessing learning materials written in English language compared to a few (0 .5%) of the former Swahili medium students. The paper recommend that there is a need to remove the obstacle in Education and Training Policy and allow the establishment of government and private secondary schools which will be free to use English or Swahili as a medium of instruction and assessment. However Swahili and English subject should remain as compulsory subjects.
Keywords: Education policy, Education and Training policy, English medium, Swahili medium, students’performance. | | --- | | E-mail: [pbikongoro@yahoo.com](pbikongoro@yahoo.com). | INTRODUCTION For decades now the discourse on the language policies in Tanzania has been in focal point of the debate, but unfortunately it does not receive the attention it deserves (Kadege, 2006) . The relationship between the language of instruction and students’ performance has been the most puzzling issue for five decades in Tanzania. On one hand educational planners and policy makers assume that, students who transit to secondary school after completing seven years of primary schooling in Tanzania possess sufficient knowledge of English to enable them to learn through English as the medium of instruction in secondary school (Qorro, 2006) . On the other hand educationists and researchers argue that, English language is a major cause of poor quality of education in Tanzania because students are taught in a language they do not understand. They assume that, the decision on the language of instruction in Tanzania is influenced by social political factors rather than educational and not based on pedagogical limitations. Most of researchers, therefore, suggest that Swahili medium should take off because English is detrimental in education system (Qorro, 2006; Brock-Utne, 2006; Tilya, 2006; Alphonce, 2006; Galabawa and Lwaitama, 2006; Kadege, 2006) . Although most of the writings on the language policy in Tanzania have converged towards the justification of the uselessness of English language in classroom instruction and assessment, such justification shedding some light on the tension between English and Swahili languages. In reality the global explosion of knowledge and technology advancement has led to unavoidable

FAQs

What problem does the paper address regarding language policy in Tanzania?

It examines how the language of instruction and assessment relates to students’ performance in Tanzania’s secondary education and whether the current policy creates barriers to effective learning.

How was data collected in this study?

The study used interviews, an observation checklist, and administered tests in English and Biology to Form One students selected purposively.

What key findings are reported for English and Swahili medium students?

English-medium students scored substantially higher in Biology and English tests than Swahili-medium students, and a far larger share of English-medium students could use computer technology to access English learning materials.

What recommendation does the paper make for education and training policy?

It recommends removing the obstacle in the Education and Training Policy to allow secondary schools to use English or Swahili as a medium of instruction and assessment, while keeping both languages as compulsory subjects.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford