Language of Education

Language of Education 1
LANGUAGE OF EDUCATION
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Language of Education 2
There has been a continuous discussion going across Tanzania concerning the ideal
language of teaching in the academic system. Several columnists and scholars have given their
views concerning the same issue that has now become a subject of apprehension to the education
department and the latest individual being Yohana Msanjila. First and foremost, it is essential to
look at the importance of the first language both in schools and at home which makes the main
point of argument of Yohana Msanjila.
Under normal circumstances, children always learn the language that they first hear from
the parents at home. This comes with an advantage since it helps the child develop the skill of
learning the language from the people around. After acquiring the first language, the child will
be able to learn other languages effectively through a gradual process and finally become truly
bilingual. On the other hand, it is a common knowledge that for an individual to become
bilingual, the brain must be flexible to be able to store and access information in two languages.
Therefore, this is one advantage that the first language comes with when the child is exposed and
taught. Back to Msanjila’s argument that celebrates Kiswahili as the national language. Swahili
is not only spoken in Tanzania but also in other countries within Eastern Africa such as Kenya.
In support of Msanjila’s idea, it is true that every Tanzanian understands and speaks fluent
Swahili more than any other language across.
In Yohana’s arguments, he points out that Swahili is widely spoken by many Tanzanians
and therefore, it is the best idea to be used as the national language as well as to be used in
schools. He points out that Swahili acts as a symbol of unity and heritage that preserves the
culture and strengthens the identity of Tanzanians since it the only country in African that has
endorsed Swahili as the national language (Msanjila, n.d, p.44). In my point of view, the