Debate on Language of Education: Kiswahili in Tanzanian Schools

This essay delves into the ongoing discussion in Tanzania regarding the ideal language of instruction within its academic system, focusing primarily on the role and importance of Kiswahili. The author examines arguments from various scholars, including Yohana Msanjila, who champions Kiswahili as a symbol of national unity and heritage. The essay also considers counterarguments, particularly those highlighting the potential isolation of Tanzania from international engagement due to an over-reliance on Kiswahili. By comparing different perspectives, the essay analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of promoting Kiswahili as the primary language of education, ultimately considering the broader implications for Tanzania's educational and economic future within a global context. Desklib offers this essay and many other resources for students.

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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

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argument has several weaknesses that have to be considered. The first issue is education sector;
Tanzanian education system would not have been in place without the existence of both
Germanic and British education systems. In this case, as much as Swahili is widely spoken, it is
important to incorporate other languages that are widely used across the world to help
Tanzanians cooperate better with the rest of the world.
In comparison to Yohana Msanjila’s and Tammerlin Drummond’s arguments, I think
Drummond’s argument is much stronger than Yohana’s. Drummond talks about international
matters and things that affect Tanzanian system due to the adoption of ‘Swahilization.’ From the
article, a political analyst from Tanzania says, "If you want to succeed in foreign trade, you have
to be able to communicate. The problem is that the Swahili policy isolated the country from
everybody else" (Drummond, 1993). From this statement, it is clear that the use of Swahili and
making it a national language has put Tanzania at a risky situation where the majority cannot
communicate in other languages thus derailing their effort for international businesses.
Africans can use their languages in the course of education in a contribution to the Global
Staffroom. A general principle of language development confirms that language develops when
in use and therefore, African languages are not an exception. Every African language can be
used for education purposes right from kindergarten to tertiary stage. However, the problem
comes when dealing with international issues. The language position in Africa is too diverse, and
most of the concerned institutions are focused on the official languages such as English and
French.

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References
MASNJILA, Y, nd, Kiswahili as a Unifying Force. First Magazine, n.d, 43-44
DRUMMOND, T, 1993. Postscript : Stuck in Language Limbo : Tanzania's Julius Nyerere once
envisioned a Swahili-speaking utopia. It hasn't worked out.. Los Angels Times, 21 September
1993. n/a