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Designing multiple instruction modes

There is a lot of deliberation at the moment on the language of instruction in Tanzanian schools. Public schools teach in Swahili, with a small minority of public secondary schools teaching in English. The popular perception among people is that English = quality global education. Yet, some argue that Swahili helps to maintain a cultural identity.

What if we designed a system of instruction that combined both, local language and international languages? The core curriculum would be taught in the local language of Swahili - as is the practice in most countries - but if students and teachers wanted to talk or listen in English there would be ways to do so; either through extra overtime classes, or through a dedicated course on the English language, or through the use of subtitled text on screens (and other translation technologies).

In order to even entertain the idea of this kind of system, resources would need to be invested. Teachers in particular would need to be prepared (and willing) to have an instructional command in both languages and institutions in general would need to be prepared (and willing) to invest in extra time and technology spent on exploring both.

At the end of the day however, when it comes to learning, people should have the capability to learn in whatever language they are most suited at using. Otherwise, the process of education becomes trancedental; it is brought from an unknown place and imposed on a population. If people speak, listen, interact in a medium of instruction that they are brought up with, they are better able to understand and react to concepts, even when they are translated into local vernacular.

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