Beyond English: Multilingualism and Education in Kenya

Autor/in	Orwenjo, Daniel Ochieng
Titel	Beyond English: Multilingualism and Education in Kenya
Quelle	In: Africa Education Review, 18 (2021) 3-4, S.112-141 (30 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Orwenjo, Daniel Ochieng)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1814-6627
DOI	10.1080/18146627.2022.2147559
Schlagwörter	Multilingualism; Educational Quality; Developing Nations; Second Language Learning; Language of Instruction; Native Language; English (Second Language); African Languages; Language Attitudes; Colonialism; Educational History; Social Change; Educational Policy; Educational Change; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Benefits; Futures (of Society); Foreign Countries; Kenya + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Developing country; Developing countries; Entwicklungsland; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Africa; Language; Languages; Afrika; Sprachen; Afrikanische Sprache; Sprachverhalten; Kolonialismus; History of education; Bildungsgeschichte; Sozialer Wandel; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Bildungsreform; Bildungsertrag; Future; Society; Zukunft; Ausland; Kenia
Abstract	While there are many factors involved in delivering quality basic education, language is clearly the key to communication and understanding in the classroom. It is also a linguistic and societal reality that many developing countries are characterised by individual as well as societal multilingualism, yet a majority of multilingual societies in Africa continue to experience and even propagate a paradoxical situation in which a single foreign language is allowed to dominate in the education sector. For most African countries and other previously colonised countries all over the world, this has always been blamed on the colonial legacy. Ridiculously, because some of these countries detached themselves from their colonial masters more than half a century ago, yet have done little to correct the situation. In Kenya, for instance, the newly independent nation asserted the hegemony of English over local languages in its first post-independence education commission (Republic of Kenya 1964, 24). This paper argues the case for a paradigm shift in Kenya's language in education policy through the introduction of multi/bilingual instruction in the school system. By deconstructing and interrogating the current policy that places English at the hegemonic pedagogical pedestal, the paper concludes that such a policy has been hinged on the perceived future benefits of English medium of instruction. Grounding its arguments on the notions of linguistic human rights and linguistic pluralism, the paper advocates for a radical shift in Kenya's current language in education policy to an inclusion of other Kenyan languages including Sheng as one of the languages of instruction and communication within Kenyan school classrooms. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01