Gibson Ferguson Language Planning and Education Edinburgh ...

Language education policy in post-colonial Africa 187
7.2.2 Economic and practical constraints
Not to be forgotten in any discussion of medium of instruction policies in Africa is
the presence of constraining external forces, the nature of whose operation is perhaps
most clearly visible in Tanzania, a country where, as noted above, there are relatively
few sociolinguistic impediments to an indigenous national language medium. In
1982 there were, in fact, well-founded expectations that the country would shortly
move to Kiswahili medium in secondary education, but not long after, in 1984, these
hopes were dashed with an official announcement that English would after all be
retained.
Relevant to understanding this apparent policy ‘u-turn’ are two key factors. First,
by the early 1980s Tanzania had entered a period of prolonged economic crisis,
increasing the country’s dependency on external support and undermining, simultaneously,
confidence that the country could successfully implement such a farreaching
reform at a time of financial stringency. Second, the then president, Julius
Nyerere, mindful perhaps of this economic weakness, was in favour of maintaining
English medium instruction to ‘guard against parochialism’ and to protect the
country’s international links within and beyond the African continent. He was
fearful too, according to Russell (1990: 370), that ‘the use of English might die out
altogether if it were taught only as a subject’.
Illustrated here is the not unfounded anxiety, felt by governments in other parts
of Africa and indeed elsewhere (e.g. Malaysia: see Gill 2004: 144), that a shift away
from English medium at secondary level would isolate the country from the
international community, limit inward investment from the richer countries of the
North and above all, obstruct access to science and technology – thus diminishing
economic competitiveness. 7 These fears, one might add, become especially acute
where the country in question (e.g. Tanzania) is economically weak and dependent
on external donor support.
Nor can one ignore the influence of globalisation. The autonomy of African states
as policy-making units is, in common with nation states elsewhere, increasingly
constrained by global economic and political forces. Increasing numbers of African
academics, writers, politicians, business executives, financiers, civil servants and
university students inhabit a ‘globalised landscape’ (Fardon and Furniss 1994: 16).
Electronic forms of communication (email and the Internet) and improved transport
increase the permeability of national boundaries to the flow of information and
people. The net effect is greater interdependence, which, in turn, strengthens the
need and demand for proficiency in international lingua francas, especially English.
Set alongside these external macro forces are impediments of a more practical
nature that can conveniently be grouped into three rough categories: (1) linguistic
resources, (2) books and learning materials and (3) financial resources and
educational infrastructure.