"With harmonization of the education curriculum in the EAC, there might be the possibility of Tanzania which uses Kiswahili as medium of Instruction in Primary schools and Burundi and Rwanda which use French to switch to English."
As if access to primary education wasn't hard enough through one alternative language (Swahili in Tanzania, French in Burundi and Rwanda), they now talk about the possibility of changing the language of instruction to a language two steps removed from everyday life... English! Here this discussion is held in the context of 'harmonisation', with the default answer being that harmony must mean everyone doing the same thing, using the same language. This is a false economy. True harmony, I would argue, will only come when everyone is able to engage fully with the learning that is ahead of them. When everyone has the same access to education and opportunity to learn. This is only possible when people are provided the opportunity to learn in the language that they understand the best, their mother tongue if you like.
With a deep sigh I'm sorry to say it is short-sighted to think that the answer to harmonising education across East Africa is to make everyone learn through English. If you want, you can read the whole article here. It would be lovely to one day read an article talking progressively about harmonising education worldwide, ensuring all our children have access to education through their mother tongue, the language that they understand the best.
This story comes the day after I read of google's introduction of services in Swahili (the article is here). It's nice to see they are not assuming that everyone needs to use English to access their email or search a map. Who knows, one day people may be able to search google maps in Kimalila, Kikinga, Kinyakyusa....
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